


Human Mate

by Odalis88



Series: Were-Hunter Universe [1]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Inspired by Novel, M/M, Sherrilyn Kenyon - Freeform, Were-Hunter Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-01-18 10:41:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 49,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1425541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odalis88/pseuds/Odalis88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While on the run from his Arcadian Lykos pack and caring for his mortally wounded brother, the last thing Agron needs is more responsibility weighing him down. When he emerges from an impulsive one-night stand with a mating mark, an unwitting human suddenly becomes the center of his universe. Unwilling to complete the mating ritual and subjugate an innocent man to the dangerous life he leads, Agron must protect Nasir until the marks fade. Once he is sure his former pack poses no danger to his destined mate, Agron will have to flee with his brother and never set eyes on his gentle Nasir again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prequel

_Westerwald, East of the Rhine_

Stark wind blew the cold rain sideways, every droplet feeling like a tiny ice-bullet mercilessly striking every inch of exposed skin. He’d had no warning before the _timoria_ begun – the punishment, the execution – and thus was afforded no time to gather warmer clothes. He would conjure a coat, but the thin, silver _metriazo_ collar around his neck prevented him from wielding magic. 

“Fuck! Agron!” his brother Duro shouted above the howl of the wind. “Why can’t we go back and fight? Together we could take them!” He brandished one of the sharpened staffs they’d fashioned after they had escaped camp. 

Any other time, he might have been able to tone down his response to Duro’s impulsive, brash nature. But the stress of being attacked in the middle of the night by their own Arcadian Lykos pack and running for their lives while unable to use magic had shredded his last ounce of patience. 

“There are at least thirty warriors looking for us, dickhead, all with the ability to wield magic. We might take down a few, but they’d overwhelm us with superior numbers. Then where would we be? Bear bait. Shut up until I can figure out a way to get these fucking collars off!”

Duro scowled and rubbed his naked upper arms, muttering darkly that he had made rugs out of bears thrice his size. His silence would only last for a few minutes so Agron would have to make the best of it. 

If they were stranded anywhere, he was glad it was in the Westerwald. He knew these mountains better than any other place on earth. The problem, of course, was that most of the pack did as well. As much as it galled him to do so, he’d have to take them far away, out of Europe – if he could just get this damned collar off! It could only be removed with magic, yet still he tugged on it ineffectually, straining against the small electrical shocks it released to keep him trapped in his human base-form before he the ambush began. 

Duro heard the pack a split-second before he did, falling into a defensive crouch. Agron stood at his back, trying to see into the rain-streaked darkness for signs of their enemies. 

Even though their native form was that of a human, the first wave attacked as wolves, claws and teeth slicing and tearing through skin. He recognized the wolves in this group as many of the younger pack members. Perhaps the alpha expected that he and Duro would hesitate at striking out at the pups, but in this world it was kill or be killed. They had tried to kill him, and worse, they had tried to kill Duro. Agron had no mercy for any of them. Out of habit, he lashed out at them with his powers, only to feel the collar tighten and shock him. 

In the heat of battle, he almost missed the men circling the fight. They were higher up on the food chain than the younger wolves and carried Tasers. It was not the pain of a shock that Were-hunters feared, but the loss of control that accompanied it. Normally, the shock would have them flashing uncontrollably between human and animal form for hours. The electricity wreaked havoc with their magic and would be excruciating while they wore the _metriazo_ collars. They would be totally unable to defend themselves while in the throes of such agony. 

Duro cried out suddenly in pain. Agron spun to see a wolf with his teeth planted firmly in Duro’s neck, while another two tore ferociously at his limbs. A blinding fury he’d never known before ripped through him. With his rage unleashed, he did the impossible: he tore the collar from his neck with his bare hands. 

The liberation of his powers released the equivalent of a psychic-nuclear bomb. Every member of his pack dropped to the ground as it assaulted them. But even as powerful as he was, it wouldn’t last long. Agron gathered Duro in his arms and teleported to the first and only place that came to mind: Sanctuary.


	2. Sanctuary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This past week has caught up with me and I'm exhausted, but I really wanted to push myself to get this chapter out. We catch up with Nasir in Chapter 3. I wish everyone a relaxing and enjoyable weekend! Happy reading :)

_Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Agron collapsed the instant he felt his feet hit solid ground. He knew at once that they had made it to New Orleans. The smell was entirely different here than in his homelands in the mountains east of the Rhine, and while he didn’t recognize his surroundings immediately, he knew it was the famed Sanctuary. He laid Duro down and removed his brother’s _metriazo_ collar with his powers. There was so much blood, what was he supposed to do? If not for the faint rise and fall of Duro’s chest, he’d think his brother dead.

Frantic footsteps thundered up the stairs to his right. He assumed a protective stance above of Duro, unsure if he could trust these beings or not. Sanctuary was a restaurant, but it was also a safe-haven for all species. They’d protect you so long as you spilled no blood while under their roof. Come in peace or leave in pieces. Yet he’d be damned if he so blindly trusted the bears who operated it, that was a recipe for stupid. 

A petite brunette woman with a brutal scar down the left half of her face reached them. She seemed unperturbed by his aggressive stance and knelt by Duro’s side, conjuring a cloth to staunch the bleeding. 

“Oenomaus!” she yelled down the hall. A dark-skinned, middle-aged man with hawk-like features emerged from a door behind Agron. He rushed to help the woman – a Katagaria bear, if he wasn’t mistaken – carry Duro into a sterile white emergency room. 

Agron followed close at their heels, ready to attack if they harmed Duro further. A human woman with pale skin and long brown hair emerged from an office and hastened to take the bear’s place in aiding Oenomaus.

Stepping back, the woman ran a shaking hand through the short brown tresses of her hair and stared helplessly as the others worked on Duro. She had a stylized red marking on her palm that signified she was mated. The bear turned and addressed Agron. 

“I’m Naevia.” She extended her marked hand to him. “I run Sanctuary.”

“Agron,” he replied, reluctantly accepting her handshake. 

“I’m not much use for the serious cases, but I can tend to your injuries.”

“I’m fine.”

Her lips pursed as she took in his condition. Agron could only imagine how he looked, wet, filthy, covered in blood and dirt, and wearing the tattered remains of his nightclothes. But the bear didn’t pursue the subject.

“How did you come to be here? Do you have enemies hunting you?”

Agron folded his arms across his chest, eyes never straying from Duro. Naevia’s words churned up bad memories of abuse at the hands of his pack mates. He and Duro had been hunted by them, in one form or another, since their father had died. Because of their heritage, they should be next in line to take over the pack, but Batiatus had made certain that no one respected them enough to stand up for them when he issued the wholly undeserved _timoria_ against them. The alpha would have killed them each at birth but for their father’s protection. After his passing, they’d been too strong to take down on his own. 

Agron, like his brother and father, had been born an Aristos. They were the most powerful of their kind, able to wield the magic of a god. Such Arcadians were usually revered in a pack since they were so rare, but Batiatus had loathed them for it. Agron and Duro were the only living beings who knew the cause of it. 

He’d almost snapped at her, _my family hunts us, not enemies_ , but before the words formed on his tongue, he remembered that they were no longer any kin to him. Not to mention, he didn’t like the idea of giving the bears an abundance of information in case they used it against them. 

“Look,” Naevia said, her voice taking on a hard edge. “We need to know what we’re dealing with. We have cubs to protect.”

“We will not be here long,” Agron retorted, anxiety over Duro’s injuries making his tone harsher than necessary. “As soon as I can get my brother on his feet, we will leave. I needed to get us away from our pack and Sanctuary is the first location that entered my thoughts. They will not be able to track us so far so quickly.” 

He remembered the young these bears protected and added, “They called for a _timoria_ against us.” The bears deserved to know who they sheltered, and the risk that accompanied if he and Duro stayed any longer than was absolutely necessary. 

“From where do you hail?” The question came from the man caring for Duro’s wounds. Now that Agron focused attention on him, he recognized the man as a Katagaria hawk. “I place your accent in eastern Europe.”

Slightly taken aback that he did not ask regarding what had led to their punishment, Agron answered, “We come from the lands east of the Rhine, the Westerwald.” 

Oenomaus nodded and continued working in silence. 

Naevia placed a light hand on his forearm. “Come downstairs. The kitchen has just opened. I’d see you fed.”

“I would stay with him.”

“Honey,” the bear attempted to put herself in his line of sight. She didn’t quite make it, seeing as she only reached the middle of his chest. “Your brother is in fine hands. Oenomaus is the best. I would trust my mate and my family to no less. You are safe here. If any Were-hunter breaks Sanctuary peace laws, Spartacus will see them punished.”

Despite himself, Agron forced down a shiver at the mention of Spartacus, leader of the Omegrion, the ruling council of Were-hunters. Spartacus was a mystery, not Katagaria or Arcadian, but something classified as ‘Other’. None knew the extent of his powers or were stupid enough to test his limits. No one crossed him and survived to tell of it. 

Agron knew Naevia was telling the truth. His animal half would have been able to smell a lie on her, but still he hesitated at letting Duro out of his sight. She must have seen defeat in his eyes, for she tucked her arm into his elbow and led him to the hallway. He stiffened at her touch, unused to casual caresses from strangers, but made no move to shove her away. 

“The first floor is the restaurant and kitchen. This floor holds the hospital and various offices. The third and fourth stories are bedrooms, both for my family and various staff, as well as for visitors and travelers. We’ll move your brother into one when he is stable.”

“We’re leaving as soon as he is able.”

Naevia ignored his clipped words and led him up a staircase. “You can take this room,” she said, keying in a number pad and thumbprint scan next to the doorknob. Surprisingly high tech next to the ancient Victorian décor of the house. This opened to a second door with a simple deadbolt. “Most people leave the first door open so you don’t have to bother with the security. You’ll be safe here. No one can ‘pop’ in uninvited to the bedrooms. Everyone who teleports into Sanctuary is directed to the second floor where you arrived.”

The room was warmly furnished, painted a deep, soothing red with a four-poster bed and plush armchair. It certainly looked homier than his actual home growing up.

“Most of our clientele are Were-hunters, but the bar is open to humans too, and it is imperative that you don’t flash to your animal form so as not to incite a panic. And remember, absolutely _no_ fighting with anyone or you will be banned for life. We have a zero-tolerance policy. Everyone is welcome and under our protection.” She smiled warmly at him. “I’ll have them put on a steak for you. Come down when you’re ready, follow the sound of rowdy Cajun music and the smell of the most wonderful jambalaya this side of the Rockies.”

In spite of himself, Agron smiled after she’d left. Though he’d only known the absurdly petite bear for a few minutes, she appeared to be honest and open. He could understand why people came here and entrusted their safety to her. Despite the fact that she was Katagaria, and a bear, Agron could see himself becoming friends with her. 

Until he made his way into the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror, he hadn’t realized what a frightening sight he made. It was a wonder Naevia had allowed him to remain indoors. He wore tan sweatpants and a threadbare t-shirt which, along with every inch of exposed skin, was caked in dirt, made mud by the rain, and blood.

Agron rid himself of the filthy clothes and threw them into the metal trash bin where he then set them on fire. He wasn’t stupid. Sooner or later the pack would find him, but damned if he was going to make it any easier on them by leaving anything with his scent on it. 

All intentions of taking a quick “camp” shower went to hell as soon as the hot water hit his skin. Agron lost track of how long he luxuriated in the steam before he toweled off and conjured fresh clothes for himself. He snuck by the room where Duro was still being treated before going in search of Naevia, her promised steak, and a good German beer. 

As the bear had said, the mouthwatering scent of jambalaya made him salivate as he headed toward the bar. A hodgepodge of Arcadians and Katagaria in human form filled the room. Agron saw quite a few bears and suspected they were members of Naevia’s pack or her immediate family. Two jaguars, a jackal, and a tiger were tuning instruments on the stage area set behind a dance floor. The words spray painted onto the wall behind them declared them to be The Howlers. He also spotted several Katagaria wolves shooting pool and chatting with a pair of Arcadian lions. It was very rare for the human and animal branches to mix, even more so for the species to intermingle so openly with each other. Agron looked on bemused as one of the bears playfully swatted and laughed at a snow leopard, the pair then drank deeply from matching beer pitchers. 

His old pack would sooner die than dine with a different species, never mind any branch of Katagaria. It amazed him how peacefully they all interacted with each other.

That was his thought, until a man behind the bar stood before them. Now this was what a bear was supposed to look like, thick and beefy with shaggy brown hair and an unkempt beard. As he raised a hand to rake sausage-like fingers through his long hair, Agron saw a mating mark on his palm that was identical to the one on Naevia’s. The Katagaria bear swain curled his lip at him with an unreasoning hatred. 

Agron glared back with his own _fuck you_ expression. He wouldn’t start any shit while he was here, but he had little patience for asshole Katagaria, especially when the aggression was unprovoked. 

“You’re one of the German dogs that dropped in uninvited upstairs.”

Barely biting back a growl, Agron responded with forced calm, “Being an official Sanctuary means you have extended the welcome to all of our kind to take shelter here. Perhaps I’m mistaken, but don’t mother bears eat the stupid ones?” He raised his eyebrows in a mock disbelieving stare. “Now, are you going to take my order, or do I have to make a complaint to the one who holds your leash?”

The bear stiffened and bared his teeth in a growl, but before he could retort, Naevia came up to him and laid a hand on his forearm. Her close proximity, coupled with the instantly softened expression on the man’s face when he looked at her, confirmed Agron’s suspicions that they were a mated pair. 

“Crixus, this is Agron. His brother is badly wounded and is being treated by Oenomaus.” Naevia presented him with a frosted mug of beer. “Crixus is my mate.”

“I guessed as much,” Agron said, his tone drier than the Sahara desert, before taking a deep draft of the beer. “You and he have much the same tender welcoming demeanor that I’m currently basking in. Keep it up and I won’t want to leave.”

Naevia gave her mate a chiding glare. “I am about to ask Agron if he would like to help out behind the bar or as a bouncer while his brother is healing. I hope you two can find a way to be okay with that.” She glanced at Agron.

“I would be absolutely delighted to lend a paw when necessary. Thank you, Naevia and Crixus, for your generous offer.” Agron couldn’t curtail the evil grin that spread across his face when he met the bear swain’s fierce glower. He didn’t really need the job, but he wanted to be close to Duro until his brother recovered enough to defend himself. And, okay, maybe his acceptance of Naevia’s proposal would afford him the opportunity to push her surly mate’s buttons a little bit, and watching the color of his face change so drastically was amusing as hell. 

“Excellent,” Naevia said cheerfully. Agron had no doubt she was aware of their mutual dislike of each other, but he suspected she chose to ignore the mild hostility emanating from them both. “Welcome to Sanctuary, home of The Howlers.”


	3. Meet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As is customary with hobbits of the Shire, and as an honorary hobbit myself, I thought I'd give you all a little present for my birthday. Enjoy Agron and Nasir's first meeting, and first... Erm... You can guess ;)

_Pandora’s Box, New Orleans, Louisiana_

_Three weeks later_

Nasir paced in restless circles around his cluttered store, empty so near to closing time. He’d finally done it earlier today. He’d broken up with Marcus. 

His hands shook with nervous energy and excitement, so he shoved them into his jeans pockets as he continued to walk aimlessly along the long rows of bookshelves. His emotions roiled within him and he couldn’t decide which was most prevalent. On one hand, he was proud of himself. It had taken more bravery than he’d thought himself capable of to break off the sick relationship. 

But Nasir couldn’t help feeling rage and indignation over how long it had taken him to find his courage. Marcus had periods of violent, volatile anger and jealousy. On some level, Nasir had known that the way Marcus treated him wasn’t acceptable, yet he’d remained long after the abuse had manifested. 

If he was the type of person to see a shrink, they’d probably tell him that staying in an abusive relationship was in some way connected to the abuse he’d suffered in childhood. But it was something he’d never share with a perfect stranger. Heck, he didn’t even think about it with _himself_ most days. 

It hadn’t always been coldness and cruelty with Marcus. He’d once been kind and attentive, loving and supportive. But it had been a front. No one could mask their true natures forever. Sooner or later it bled out and everyone saw you for what you were. 

Shame had been a constant companion these last few months. He’d been awash in it every time Marcus had begged, pleaded, and demanded forgiveness for his behavior. And Nasir had given it every time. Yet even after he’d freed himself, shame still gnawed at the back of his mind and his pesky inner voice was relentless. 

_You deserve no better than what Marcus had offered you._

Nasir crossed his arms across his chest as he imagined sleeping in his small motel room tonight. Alone. He’d be there until he got the apartment above the store cleared out and in a semi-livable state. It had been used for storage since he’d bought the store from his aunt. Where the hell was all that junk supposed to go now?

Nasir’s thoughts continued to flow haphazardly as he quickened his pace. As a result, he almost missed the bell above the front door chime. He turned and immediately locked gazes with the most gorgeous man he’d ever seen. 

Standing over 6 feet tall, the man possessed broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Holy crap… That muscular body should be inside a centerfold. Nasir barely managed to keep his hand from flying up to check his chin for drool. He’d never seen a man so delectable, from the top of his short dreadlocked hair to the tips of his biker boots. Nothing so fine had ever entered his store in living memory. 

By some miracle, Nasir unstuck his tongue and asked, “Can I help you find something?”

Agron stood frozen before the lithe young man. The beautiful shopkeeper had long raven-black hair he longed to feel brushing against his bare chest and a mouth so sinfully sexy it was all he could do to remain in the doorway and not stride over to him and claim it in a fierce kiss. 

“I was…just walking by and saw your store. Looked interesting.” That was a blatant lie. Until the moment he’d been able to tear his gaze away from the slighter man, Agron hadn’t paid the slightest bit of attention to what the store held. Now that he looked, he saw it was kind of a combination antique and bookstore. Shelves with heavy-looking, leather bound books intermingled with delicate antique furniture, dishes, jewelry, and other shit Agron had no name for. 

“Well,” Nasir cleared his throat, trying to slow his breathing. “Are you looking for a specific item? Maybe a gift for someone?” _Please don’t say girlfriend._

“My brother,” Agron said, naming the only person on earth who he’d be even the slightest bit inclined to give a present to. “He was hurt badly recently. Maybe I could get him something to take his mind off of it?”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope he recovers soon. May I ask what happened?” 

Agron was taken aback to hear genuine concern for Duro in the man’s voice. “We were attacked.” He bit his tongue to keep from divulging anything about their exile and execution order from their alpha, Batiatus. A human would never understand Were-hunter customs. “I am eager for him to be back on his feet after the ambush.” As he was speaking the words, his gaze fell to a collection of old weapons displayed behind the register. 

Nasir turned to see what had caught his attention. “Do you collect swords?”

“My father had a Roman spatha sword such as that one.” Agron pointed to the long, elegant blade on the wall.

“You have a good eye.” Nasir took it from its pedestal and handed it to the man for inspection. 

Agron took it reverently and examined it. This one was in much better condition than his father’s had been and was more ornately decorated. It felt like holding a piece of his father, remembering how much the old man had loved that stupid thing. He wished he could have saved the sword from its fate. Batiatus had taken possession of it after Titus had died and melted it down out of pure spite. 

Nasir watched the stranger test the sword’s balance, then gasped, taking an involuntary step backwards as the great hulk of a man suddenly swung it around expertly. He didn’t strike himself or anything on the shelves around him, but what struck Nasir most was the smile on the man’s face as he practiced. 

Seriously, it wasn’t enough that he was tall, ripped, strikingly handsome, and had mad sword skills, but he had dimples too? 

Agron grinned as he let the sword fly around him. He’d never felt closer to his dad than when they practiced with his spatha. The rest of the pack considered it a worthless skill since they had the ability to shift into wolves and wield magic during a fight, yet he and Duro had always enjoyed learning. Titus always taught them to live for themselves, not to slave away trying to fit into a mold of how someone else thought they should live. 

“Apologies. It feels good to wield a blade again.”

“Your skills are very impressive.”

Laughing, Agron handed the sword back to the shopkeeper by the hilt. “My skills are meager next to my father’s. He was a great swordsman.” He paused briefly before asking the question that had been nagging him since he set eyes on the man before him. “What is your name?” 

Eyes widening at the abruptness of the question, he answered at once. “Nasir.”

A beautiful name. It suited him well. “I’m Agron,” he replied, sticking out his hand in greeting. Humans did that, right?

Nasir smiled somewhat shyly, but shook his hand. “Hello, Agron.” 

Because he rarely interacted with humans, Agron didn’t know how long they typically clasped hands in greeting. Both Arcadians and Katagaria tended to avoid physical contact with others – unless fighting or having sex with them. 

Nasir stared into penetrating hazel eyes and unconsciously took a step forward. He had yet to release Agron’s hand. 

“Um…” How could anyone form a coherent thought in this man’s presence? Alpha masculinity bled from every pore and made Nasir want to drop to his knees and… _No!_ Marcus had schooled him well on his faults. He was too short, too thin, too fleshy. If someone as average-looking as Marcus had found fault with him, what were the chances a god such as Agron would look at him twice? 

_Get a grip!_

Yeah, the problem was Nasir only wanted to get a grip on the man before him. 

It was just business with Agron. 

“Are there any other weapons you wanted to look at? Anything else I can show you?”

As if in answer to his question, Agron brought his left hand up to cup the back of Nasir’s head and hold it in place as he joined their lips in a gentle kiss. Well, Agron had intended it to be gentle. The moment he sampled the sexy shopkeeper’s mouth, his blood ran like lava, demanding he taste more of him. 

Gasping in shock, Nasir responded at once by wrapping the hand not still clutched in Agron’s tight grip around the man’s neck. His leg wound around one long column of muscle before his brain caught up to reality. 

_What the fuck are you doing?!_ He’d met Agron all of ten minutes ago, and here he was making out with him in the middle of his store? Nasir didn’t know if he was a serial killer, what he liked on his pizza, hell, what his last name was! Nothing! 

_Stop kissing him!_

Nasir couldn’t. He was too intoxicated by the tender way Agron held him, by the spicy smell of him, and by the mouthwatering taste of him. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d been held like this or when he’d craved anyone with such wanton abandon. 

Moaning into Agron’s mouth, he took a second to gather his courage before breaking the scorching kiss and asking a question that made his face flame with equal parts passion and embarrassment. 

“Would you fuck me?”

Instead of the laughter he expected, Agron looked at him with smoldering hazel eyes. No one as sexy as this man had ever given him such a heart-stopping, melt-you-into-a-puddle look before. “You’d let me?”

Agron’s eyes flickered to the large windows facing the street and Nasir’s face heated still further. Anyone walking by outside would be able to see them pawing at each other like horny teenagers. Extracting himself from Agron, Nasir flipped the sign on the door to Closed, locked up, and dimmed the lights. 

Before he lost his nerve, Nasir returned to Agron and towed him by the wrist to the back room. He could feel Agron against his back and he bit back a moan, turning quickly to face him. The larger man tilted his face up and leaned down for a kiss, taking his mouth the way Nasir longed for him to take his body, with skillful mastery. 

Agron surrounded him, so unbelievably large and masculine. Rather than being intimidating or frightening, his size somehow made Nasir feel protected and sheltered, but he’d never admit that aloud. He was no waif or damsel in distress and he’d kill anyone who called him that. Nasir could take care of himself, and the first step had been to ditch Marcus.

Running his hands slowly up Nasir’s sides, Agron struggled not to let his animal half overpower him. He’d never taken a human lover before and didn’t want to hurt him by accident. Humans were very breakable. All his past partners had been Arcadian wolves and every one of them, male and female, had displayed an almost angry aggression in their desire for a quick romp. None were like the man before him now, placid and gentle, malleable, and so hot under his touch. 

For some reason he couldn’t fathom, it made him feel protectiveness for the human. He could see others taking advantage of him for this and the mere thought made him see red. 

Slowly, in case Nasir wished to put a stop to it, Agron unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. His hands covered large patches of silky dark skin at a time and he loved it. Agron tweaked his nipples and Nasir gasped, pushing himself closer, so he repeated the gesture a little harder and was rewarded with a soft plea.

“Agron, _please_.”

He bent down to bury his face in Nasir’s neck and inhale his scent, wanting to bathe in it. The shopkeeper tilted his head to allow him more freedom. As he tongued Nasir’s collarbone, Agron’s fingers looped into his belt loops and brought their hips closer together. 

“I want these off you.” 

Much to Nasir’s chagrin, Agron stepped back, a predatory light in his eyes as he watched him strip off his clothes. His heart thudded almost painfully in his chest at being naked while Agron was still fully clothed. Making no effort to hide the fact that his gaze was riveted to Nasir’s stiffening sex, Agron pushed him up against a wooden office desk and pulled his t-shirt off over his head when Nasir’s hands delved beneath the hem to stroke his stomach. 

With a gentle hand, Agron pressed Nasir back to lie flat on the desk, kissing a trail down his body until he reached his groin. 

“Look at that pretty cock,” Agron rumbled low in his throat, wrapping a fist around the base. “Is this all for me?”

“Suck me, please!”

The scent of the human drove him to the edge of his control. He licked and sucked until he could almost taste Nasir’s orgasm, only then did he pull back. 

“Don’t come yet.” He stroked Nasir lightly, delighting in the tremors that shook his lithe, beautiful body. 

Nasir growled, belying his human nature. “No…don’t stop. I need to come!”

Agron brought a hand to Nasir’s mouth and inserted a finger between his lips, then he brought the wet digit to the man’s small pucker. “I want to feel you come when I’m deep inside this hole, when I’m fucking you so hard you don’t even need a hand on your cock to shoot all over yourself.”

“ _Fuck_.” Nasir’s dick jerked, loving the idea. “Let me suck you?”

“Oh, yeah.” Agron lifted him off the desk with inhuman strength and took Nasir’s mouth in a passionate kiss before placing gentle hands on his shoulders to lower him into a kneel. “I want to see those sexy lips wrapped around my cock.” He kicked away his jeans and took his length in hand, rubbing the tip against Nasir’s lips. 

He had to brace a hand against the desk to keep from collapsing the instant Nasir took him into his mouth. “Fucking amazing cocksucker,” Agron ground out, willing his body not to release. His kind weren’t limited, as many human males were, to one orgasm. Sex invigorated them rather than tiring them out. He wanted more than anything to shoot inside the hot cavern of this man’s mouth, but Arcadian wolves got larger near the end and would remain so for several minutes until their orgasm ended. The last thing he wanted was to damage Nasir. 

Nasir flinched and drew back when Agron caressed his scalp, gentle fingers combing through his hair. “Please don’t pull my hair.” His voice betrayed him by quivering slightly and he dipped his head to hide his flush embarrassment. He’d always hated his hair being pulled, but even more so when Marcus had done it out of anger. His ex-boyfriend had tugged on it as though he were a dog on a leash. Indignity slammed into him when he remembered wanting to get it cut so it couldn’t be used like that anymore. Marcus would hear none of it, and like a whipped puppy, Nasir obeyed. 

“Hey,” Agron said softly, kneeling before him. “I would never hurt you.” He met Nasir’s shammed-filled eyes and gave him a tender kiss, rubbing his shoulders reassuringly. “I won’t pull your hair, I promise.”

Nasir gazed into Agron’s gorgeous hazel eyes, unknowing how to move past this moment. He’d never felt more secure with a lover than he did with Agron, and wanted to tell him so, but his bruised pride kept him from it. He was embarrassed enough that his neurosis had brought their sizzling scene to a halt. 

“Is there anything else you don’t like?” Agron surprised him by enquiring. “I should have asked before.”

“I can’t be…” Nasir paused. Somehow admitting this felt more intimate than what they had just been doing. “I don’t like being taken from behind.” He didn’t offer Agron an explanation as to why. Who wanted to hear about his childhood abuse at the hands of his own step-brother? It was repulsive. 

“That’s perfect, baby. I want to see your face when I fill you.” Agron cocked his head to the side as if a thought suddenly occurred to him. “Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

Nasir watched bemused as Agron jumped up and walked back into the store. When he returned, he was carrying a quilt. Nasir laughed as he spread it out over the floor. 

“I’m buying this, don’t worry,” Agron assured him. Then he stretched out on his side, propped up by his elbow. “Come here, pet.”

Cock twitching in renewed interest at the soft command, Nasir crawled over to him on all fours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a spot to end with, right? Apologies ;) It would have made the chapter too long, so I had to split it up. Next part will be up sometime around the end of next week. Thanks for reading!


	4. Mating

_Pandora’s Box, New Orleans, Louisiana_

“Come here.”

Cock twitching in renewed interest at the soft command, Nasir crawled over to him on all fours. What did such a perfectly formed male see in someone like him? Nasir had no idea, but he hoped Agron didn’t come to his senses before the night was over. 

When he was within reach, Agron captured his lips in a kiss. He seemed to enjoy that and Nasir was all too happy to oblige him. And to think, Nasir had never liked kissing, had never known the pleasure of having such a masterful mouth set loose on him before. 

Agron moved them slowly until he lay above Nasir. “Spread yourself. I want to see you.” He kept his gaze on the lithe body before him and reached blindly for his jeans. He’d already conjured a condom and lube into the pocket. Since neither Katagaria nor Arcadians could catch or transmit human diseases, the condom was more for Nasir’s peace of mind than safety. Looking at the little tube of slick in his hand however… Agron worried it might not be enough. 

His people seldom bothered with it. Females sought out males when they were in heat and were typically slick enough for copulation without extra help. Gay sex was a taboo subject in many packs, but Were-hunter bodies were made differently than human bodies, tougher and able to withstand more damage. Agron wanted none of that with Nasir. 

He slicked up his fingers and dripped some lube down Nasir’s crease. Even as hard and desperate as he was to fuck him _right now_ , he forced himself to slow down, taking great care to stretch him. 

Nasir panted with the effort to remain still while Agron prepared him, but the pleasure elicited by his touch was enough to have him rocking down on the fingers inside him with abandon. He didn’t even spare thought to how wanton he must appear.

“You look so hot, so fucking gorgeous riding my fingers.” Agron brought a hand up to cradle Nasir’s tender sac. “I could make you come just like this if I wanted.”

Agron’s growled words made him shudder and work himself faster. “No,” Nasir keened. “Need you inside me. _Now!_ ”

“Aw, baby,” Agron crooned, leaning down and kissing Nasir’s naval, laving his belly button. “I am powerless to ignore such a command. Grab your knees for me.”

Pulling his legs up, Nasir watched as Agron rolled the condom onto his impressive length and slicked it with lube. He was so turned on, he half expected to find release just from seeing Agron stroke himself. 

“Agron!” he complained, releasing his legs so that they could lock around the larger man’s waist. Nasir tried to pull him closer, but Agron was as unmovable as a boulder. “Fuck me now or I’ll finish without you.”

Agron barely bit back a grin at Nasir’s impatience. He loved how eager the man was to receive him. Amusement and blinding arousal warred within him, but both were overshadowed by doubt. Had he stretched Nasir adequately? How much was enough for humans? 

He hesitated a heartbeat. “Are you ready for me?”

Nasir saw the briefest hint of uncertainty in Agron’s expression before he masked it. It was endearing to know that this mountain of incredible sexiness had moments of insecurity, it made him seem more human than god, more touchable. 

He nodded. And because he thought Agron needed to hear the words, he panted, “I’m ready.”

After he received the okay, Agron braced one hand next to Nasir’s head and leaned down to plunder his mouth while the other held his dick steady as he pushed slowly into him. 

“Oh, fuck the gods,” Agron groaned against soft lips as he sank into the hot cavern of Nasir’s body. It felt so good, but he made himself go slow and easy. When he was fully seated, he paused to gauge the human’s comfort level. It was difficult to tell, for Nasir’s expression teetered somewhere between intense pleasure and pain. 

“Are you okay?”

The question seemed to come to Nasir from a great distance. Calloused hands stroked his face and he leaned into the caresses. “You feel wonderful inside me. Move, please!”

Still wary of causing him pain, Agron began thrusting slowly, shallowly. Only after a minute of Nasir’s demanding hands and growled urgings did he dare slam into him with any force. Never had any lover felt so good, wanted him this badly, or brought his heart so much peace. Somehow, Nasir soothed his soul in a way Agron hadn’t even realized it was hurting, all the while hardening his body to the point where he thought he might combust if he didn’t release. 

Agron reached down to wrap fingers around Nasir’s cock, but they were batted away. 

“No. I want to come the way you said, without a touch, just from you fucking me.”

That thought made Agron swell further and thrust faster. As he stared down into Nasir’s eyes, he swore he could see the man’s soul. It was scarred, yet despite all he must have suffered in his life, it retained a gentle, innocent quality that Agron longed to touch. “You’re so beautiful.”

The heartfelt words spilled out of him without thought and a part of him wanted to suck them back into his mouth. He wasn’t anything to Nasir but a one-night stand, Agron knew that. What right did he have to say such things?

Nasir winced as though the words hurt to hear them. He scoffed and shook his head, refusing to meet Agron’s eyes. Astounded, Agron faltered in his thrusts as he realized what Nasir thought of himself, how _little_ he thought of himself. 

Nasir was gorgeous, with sharp, intelligent eyes and perfectly succulent lips that were made for kissing. Not to mention, his sculpted, masculine jawline and smooth, dark skin stretched over a leanly muscled body made Agron salivate with want to lick him all over. What kind of assholes had he dated that they’d never told him that before? 

Keeping one hand braced on the quilt beside Nasir’s head, Agron grabbed the man’s chin with his other and forced their gazes to collide. “You are beautiful,” he repeated sternly, punctuating each word with a sharp hit to Nasir’s prostate. “I want to hear you say it.”

Nasir attempted to glare at the man above him but his eyes kept wanting to roll back into his head. His body felt like it was being split in two and it was all he could do not to beg for more. He bit his lower hip hard and shut his eyes. Why was Agron doing this to him?

“Say it,” Agron persisted, reducing his pace to an agonizingly slow pull and stretch of skin. He wrapped a tight fist around the base of Nasir’s erection and fiery eyes flashed up to his. But Agron set his jaw. He didn’t say it aloud, but Nasir knew he couldn’t come until Agron heard what he wanted. “You’re beautiful. Why is it so hard to admit?”

“Because I’m not! I know I’m not.” There was no indication in his voice that he was speaking anything other than what he understood to be a fact. He wasn’t fishing for compliments or sympathy. It was the truth as he saw it and it made Agron angry enough to spit out iron nails. He wanted to find the bastards who made Nasir feel this way and pound them into dust. 

“I wanted you from the first moment I saw you. You could have been selling coffins and burial plots or woman’s lingerie and I still would have walked in here and made an ass out of myself trying to talk to you.” Agron kissed him again, tugging on Nasir’s lips with his teeth. He pulled back and cupped a dark cheek in his palm. “I know someone hurt you very badly. All I know is that you survived and are stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

Eyes burning, Nasir covered his face with his hands. He refused to spill tears in front of Agron. Who would have thought that an impulsive fuck in the backroom of his store would be so emotionally exhausting? Suddenly Agron was grappling with his wrists, holding them above his head. 

“Don’t hide from me!”

Nasir struggled ineffectually against Agron’s tight hold and tried to temper down his rising panic. For one second, he was eight years old again being pinned by his step-brother who was violating him. 

“I don’t like being held down.” To his immense shock, Agron released his hands immediately and he was transported back in his store in New Orleans. 

“Look, I know you don’t know me and you’ll probably never see me again. And I don’t know why it’s so important to me, but I need you to understand how I see you. You trusted me with your body. Trust me now when I tell you I think you’re the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.”

Face and neck flushing, Nasir mumbled in a barely audible voice, “Thank you, Agron.” Then he writhed sensuously beneath him and wrapped his arms and legs around Agron’s body while simultaneously tightening around the invading pillar of flesh. “Are you going to fuck me, or do I have to beg?” 

Agron groaned as Nasir milked him with his body. “I didn’t hear you say it,” he choked out when he could form coherent thoughts once again. 

Rolling his eyes, Nasir said the words very quickly. 

“I’m beautiful.”

“Yes, you are,” Agron said, willing Nasir to hear the sincerity in his voice. Then, in an effort to lighten the moment, he quipped, “And I’m cute too.”

Nasir laughed deeply. “You’re the god of sex.”

Gazing deeply into stunning hazel eyes, Nasir couldn’t believe how close he felt to this perfect stranger. It was as though Agron saw inside him, drawing out his insecurities and, for whatever reason, attempting to banish them. In the past he’d felt like a beacon for selfish pricks because they inevitably found him and put him through the ringer. He’d never been with anyone so focused on him. The skillful way Agron manipulated his body to bring him the maximum amount of pleasure was new and so blissful he wanted to weep. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up. 

“Harder, Agron. I’m not made of glass.”

Agron cupped Nasir’s cheek. “I’ve already been too rough. I don’t want you to be sore.” 

“ _I do_ ,” Nasir panted. “I want to feel it tomorrow. I want to be working in my store and throb in pleasure and remember you inside me, caring for me.”

In that moment, possessiveness rose up in him until it was all Agron could do not to tear Nasir apart in his haste to own him. He fucked him as hard as he dared, retaining enough brain function to remember that Nasir was not Arcadian and did not have the strength to defend himself from one if Agron accidentally went too far during their coupling. 

“Oh, god,” Nasir gasped. “Oh, god, I’m gonna come.”

“Do it. Come for me,” Agron urged, so on fire for Nasir that he released a second after he felt the slighter man’s walls contracting around him. He was so beautiful in his surrender that Agron couldn’t have looked away from him riding out the throes of climax if his life had depended on it. He used his magic to elongate Nasir’s pleasure in an effort to hide the amount of time he needed to finish his own orgasm. 

After a few more minutes Agron felt it was safe to pull out. Not wanting to crush Nasir under his weight, he fell to the side and lay face up next to him. As he waited for Nasir to catch his breath, uncertainty assailed him. 

What did humans do after sex? Would Nasir expect him to leave right away? Should he stay and offer to walk him home? 

Agron had never faced these questions before. With Arcadians, sex was either a necessity to produce offspring, or a way of scratching a biological itch with a welcoming body. Only mated Were-hunters seemed to care about romance. 

All Katagaria and Arcadians had one destined mate chosen for them by the Fates. Because an individual could only get pregnant with the one the Fates had bound them to, many Were-hunters were promiscuous, sleeping around until a mating mark appeared on their palm. 

Agron felt a stab of guilt as he looked at his bare hand. He’d long given up the task of finding a mate. In his younger days, he’d done his duty and slept with female Arcadians because he wanted to find her and continue his father’s line. As he’d grown older and more independent, Agron had finally admitted to himself that being mated to a _female_ for the rest of his existence was a fate worse than death.

He would never mate and have children because he could never bring himself to touch another woman in the necessary way again. Agron consoled himself with the thought that Duro, at least, would have the opportunity to find a mate and father children. If he was honest with himself, Agron could cede the fact that fatherhood had never appealed that much to him anyway. 

Nasir shifted next to him, bringing Agron out of his reverie. He held his breath and waited for him to speak first, but Nasir only moved to drape an arm across his stomach. When he felt more confident that he would not be immediately dismissed, Agron held Nasir in silence while he seemed to doze off. 

Without thought, Agron conjured a tissue to wipe off some of the release that Nasir had shot onto his own chest, not wanting it to make the other man uncomfortable when it dried. 

Then very suddenly, Nasir jerked awake and sat up. “Shit! What time is it?” 

Agron squinted at the clock on the wall. “Almost 9:30.”

Nasir cursed again and started pulling on his clothes at top speed. “I’m late for dinner with a friend. I hope she hasn’t left yet.”

Reluctantly, Agron followed Nasir’s lead and got dressed. He tried to pay for the quilt they’d used, but Nasir refused to accept money for it, insisting that he couldn’t let it be sold in its current condition. Because the truth might offend or horrify him, Agron lied and said he’d take it to the cleaner’s himself. In reality, he wanted to keep Nasir’s intoxicating scent on it for as long as was possible. Because Nasir still wouldn’t allow him to pay for the “ruined” quilt, he’d given it to Agron free of charge. Agron accepted it after making a silent vow to pay him back some other way in the future.

Once he’d gotten everything squared away in the store, Nasir finally took a breath and glanced at Agron. What did you say to someone after they’d given you the best fuck of your life? Nasir wanted to see him again, but couldn’t bring himself to ask for his number. Agron probably didn’t want to see him again anyway after the multiple breakdowns he’d had. 

After a minute of awkward silence, Agron asked, “Where are you going?”

“Fellini’s, a couple blocks from here. I’d better get over there or Chadara might come track me down. Woman is part bloodhound, I swear.”

The corner of Agron’s lip quirked up. If only Nasir knew he was talking to a man who was part wolf. “Can I walk with you?”

“Sure.”

As they walked, Agron grilled him relentlessly about himself. He’d managed to avoid outright lying about the bad parts of his life, but the way Agron reacted suggested he heard more in what Nasir _didn’t_ say. Nasir did manage to squeeze in a few questions himself. 

Agron had recently left home with his brother, who was healing after a vicious attack. By _who_ Agron wouldn’t say. He had only vague, sporadic memories of his mother, who died when he was very young, but still grieved the loss of his father, which had occurred two years ago. Agron enjoyed one-on-one contact sports such as naked male Jell-O wrestling, though Nasir supposed he only said that to make him blush. 

Agron’s feet seemed to get heavier and heavier, their pace slower and slower, the closer they got to the restaurant. He didn’t want to say goodbye, but it was for the best. The pack was hunting them and Duro was still bedridden until he healed enough to protect himself. Agron had enough on his shoulders without courting a man who knew nothing of his world. 

A small part of him wanted to be selfish and keep Nasir regardless of the danger it put the human in. But being the eldest son, Agron’s father had hammered responsibility into him his whole life. It was better for Nasir if he disappeared. 

“So…” Nasir said awkwardly once they made it to Fellini’s. “This is my stop.”

Agron faced him and placed both hands on Nasir’s neck, tilting his head up. “Thank you, Nasir.”

“For the walk?” Nasir quipped, trying, and failing, to inject humor into his tone. “It was no hardship.” 

The wistful smile on Nasir’s face chipped away at his resolve. _Don’t leave him!_ He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Nasir’s lips. Unlike their first kiss, their last kiss was slow and unhurried, and neither of them wanted it to end. 

Uncaring that they stood in the middle of the sidewalk, Agron dropped the bag carrying his quilt and held Nasir tenderly, one hand trailing down to cup his ass. Moaning into his mouth, Nasir managed to wedge a hand between their chests to pinch one of Agron’s nipples. 

“Oh, gods,” Agron breathed, finally breaking the kiss but resting his forehead against Nasir’s. “This is why I have to leave. You’re like an addiction I can’t break.”

“No one’s said that to me before,” Nasir mumbled, trying to remember what they were doing out on the street and why they weren’t rushing back to his motel room as fast as humanly possible. His phone buzzed in his pocket and when he saw the text, he remembered. 

_Been sitting here for 20 min. Ditch Mr. Hunky and get in here so I can eat._

Taking an automatic step back from Agron, Nasir spun around and spotted Chadara inside the restaurant. She waved at him, a fierce scowl marring her pretty features. 

“I have to go. It was… nice meeting you, Agron.” Nasir winced at how incredibly stupid that sounded.

His brows knitted in a frown, Agron retrieved the quilt and cupped Nasir’s cheek one last time. “Goodbye.” Then he forced himself to turn and walk away, trying to ignore the fact that it felt as though he were leaving behind a limb or vital organ. 

Nasir felt his phone vibrate in his hand but didn’t bother checking the text that was almost certainly Chadara again. He turned morosely and went to find her in the restaurant.


	5. Mark

_Fellini’s Restaurant, New Orleans, Louisiana_

“Did you sleep with him?” Chadara demanded loudly, and in such a lovely cadence that it was sure to have traveled to the cooks in the kitchen – next door. 

Nasir coughed, choking on his water. “What is _wrong_ with you?”

“Well, did you?” she asked in a slightly more moderate decibel. 

“So what if I did?” Nasir retorted, trying not to sound defensive. “I’m an adult.”

“ _So what?_ ” his best friend mocked in disbelief. “I’m just surprised at you, is all. One-night stands aren’t like you. What about Marcus?”

Nasir scowled at her and took a large bite of a breadstick. He was trying to commit every second of his time with Agron to memory and she was ruining it by bringing up his ex?

“I left him.”

“Yeah, like four minutes ago.”

“No. I decided were over a while ago. I just informed him of that fact this morning.”

“I’m proud of you, Nasir. That prick was never good enough for you. But I don’t like you meeting up with strange men.”

Nasir scoffed. “You don’t know Agron. He’s one man, not plural, and he isn’t strange.”

Chadara smiled and crossed her arms across her chest. “What’s his last name?”

He hesitated for the briefest of moments while forming his counter argument. “You think you’ve made this irrefutable case against me, but you couldn’t be further off-base. Agron is – he was just a little bit of fun. I deserve some fun after Marcus and I won’t be seeing him again anyway. We didn’t exchange numbers.” He tried to keep the petulance out of his voice, but didn’t think he’d done a very good job. 

His best friend seemed to sense his mood and placed a comforting hand on his arm. “I really _am_ proud of you for leaving Marcus. Every time I heard him talk down to you or when I saw the bruises on you, I wanted to murder him. Literally. If I knew anyone who owned a gun, I’d have stopped his heart ages ago. You are so much better off without ass-face in your life.”

Nasir smiled as he listened to Chadara rail against Marcus. This was why he loved her. She could be crass and rude at times, but it was all in service of her friends. She was loyal to a fault, and he had no doubt that if he’d indicated in any small way that he’d wanted Marcus dead, she’d have found a way to make it look like an accident. 

“But this new guy,” she continued. “I don’t know if you should be getting involved with anyone so quickly. And from what I saw, you guys were _involved_. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a bite of that apple, but ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been in a relationship. You’re the type of person who doesn’t know how to be alone, who has to be with someone in order to be happy.”

“That’s not true,” Nasir retorted in a low tone. He bit his tongue to keep from saying, _I’m never happy_.

Except with Agron.

Stuffing the rest of his breadstick into his mouth, he tried to banish that thought. He’d never see Agron again. Just as his treacherous mind was conjuring a mouthwatering image of Agron naked, Nasir reached for his glass of water when he pulled his hand back with a hiss. 

It felt like his palm was on fire. He blew cool air onto it and was shocked to the core of his being when he saw an intricate design there. It looked vaguely Greek in origin and if he unfocused his eyes a little, resembled a wolf. 

“What the hell?” He couldn’t take his eyes off it. Where had it come from?

“What?” Chadara asked, her lecture derailed due to his lack of attention to her. 

“Look.” Nasir held his palm out for her inspection and she grabbed it to study the stark black design. 

“When did you get a tattoo?”

“I didn’t. I swear it wasn’t there fifteen seconds ago.”

She looked skeptically at him but his gaze was riveted to the image on his hand, wondering where it had come from. 

 

_Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

“What crawled up your ass and died?”

“ _Excuse me?_ ” Agron paused in his cleaning of the counter to glare at Gannicus, an Arcadian lion who frequented the bar so often one would think he lived and paid rent here. 

Gannicus indicated Agron’s face with a wave of his hand. “You just have that kind of expression. Also, you’ve been buffering the same square foot of counter space for like twenty minutes and scaring away customers with that blind-glare thing you’ve got going on.”

“Nothing’s wrong with me,” he lied.

“You know,” Gannicus said thoughtfully. “I think you ought to go out and get laid. You’re always hanging around Sanctuary waiting to hear that Duro is well enough for you to skedaddle and go on the run, but you need to live in the moment! There are plenty of good-looking college girls for you to pick up. I’m off the market now,” he held up his marked palm that showed he was spoken for, and thus impotent to all women but his mate.” So they might be desperate enough to go for your smelly hide…”

“Thank you,” Agron replied dryly. “That’s not my problem. And the moment you start handing out life advice is my indication that you will be cut off from the booze in three, two…”

“Don’t get testy. I don’t drink like that anymore. I’m just looking out for you. It isn’t good for a man to get stopped up, and I imagine it’s been a while –”

“Stop! Stop right there or I will shove my foot so far up your ass that you’ll spit up shoe leather for a week – Fuck!” Agron dropped the washcloth as a sudden burning spread across his palm. He looked at it, gave a foul curse, and ran to look at it again under a brighter light. 

Agron’s heart stopped after his brain caught up to what was happening. The mating mark was unmistakable, but he had to be seeing it wrong. There was no way, _no fucking way_ , he’d found his mate.

Gannicus stood next to him and gave a low whistle when he saw what had him so stressed out. “You sly old dog. Welcome to the club, wolf. It happens to the best of us.”

“It’s impossible,” Agron said, absolutely stunned. 

“Well, it goes like this. When a daddy Were-hunter and a mommy Were-hunter love each other very much…”

“No! It’s _impossible_. They’re human.”

Gannicus shrugged. “Sibyl is human,” he said, naming his gentle mate who worked with Oenomaus in Sanctuary’s hospital. “It’s rare, yet not unheard of for one of us to be mated to –”

“They’re male,” Agron interrupted in a low voice, not wanting to be overheard. “A human male.” His mind went into overdrive. He hadn’t slept with anyone except Nasir for months, and hadn’t had a female in years. It had to be Nasir that caused the mark to appear, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how. 

Their kind never, _never_ , mated to someone of the same gender. There was no reason to since the main objective of mating was to produce offspring. Gay couples could still have lives together and be happy, but they could never mate. Agron’s heart rate sped up as he considered the fact that there might be something wrong with him that the Fates had mated him to a male. And he _knew_ Nasir was male. 

For once, Gannicus was at a loss for words. He stared at Agron in stunned disbelief. Something must have alerted Naevia that something was wrong, because she came over cautiously. 

“What’s happened?”

Unable to form words, Agron held up his marked palm in answer. 

A bright smile formed instantly on her lips. “Congratulations! Who is she?”

Agron felt sick at the question. He shook his head and looked at Gannicus for help. 

For several seconds, it looked like Gannicus was still stunned stupid. Then he spoke in a whisper. “It’s a human male!”

Naevia appeared surprised, but not disgusted as he suspected many of their kind would be upon hearing the news. “I’ve never heard of that happening before. That’s very strange.”

“ _Strange?!_ ” That one word jolted Agron’s voice box out of his navel. “It’s fucked up is what it is! I can’t have a mate! I can’t even take care of my own brother, how am I supposed to look after a human mate? A man?”

Then another stomach-churning thought occurred to him. Mated females were free to have sex with anyone who caught their eye, but males were left impotent to all but their chosen one until their mate died. They were bound once the mark appeared, with or without completing the mating ritual. Did the rule still apply if his mate was male too? He didn’t think Nasir, being human, would be restricted by it, but what if it was true of him? Would he be regulated to celibacy for the rest of Nasir’s life? 

Agron had to sit and found himself on a barstool with no memory of how he’d gotten there. Naevia was patting his arm, trying to console him. 

“You’re not alone in this, honey. We’re looking after Duro. I swear no member of your pack will be able to harm him here. You go to your mate. He will have your scent on him, will he not? You should go protect him.”

Numbly, Agron agreed. Were-hunters had three weeks to complete the mating ritual, if they did not, the marks faded and the opportunity was lost forever. Until that time, Nasir would be in danger from his pack, wearing Agron’s scent and his mark.

He groaned, letting his face fall to the counter, wondering how a one-night stand had produced such confusing consequences. Gannicus pounded him on the back in a way that was clearly meant to be reassuring. 

“You have my word that I will not leave Duro unprotected. You’ve had our backs, and we have yours. Your mate’s safety comes above all else.”

Gannicus was right and Agron knew it. The animal inside him was already straining against his human half, wanting its mate. Mind still reeling, Agron went upstairs to teleport himself to Fellini’s restaurant. 

Crixus waited until the pompous wolf swain vanished before going up to his mate. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. 

“What is wrong with the dogs now?”

“Agron found his mate,” Naevia said softly, ignoring Crixus’ slur against the wolfs. 

“Poor fucking bastard.”

Naevia turned in his arms and popped him a blow to the stomach. “Is that how you really feel about it? Is it such a hardship to be mated to me?”

He gave her that tender smile he only used with her and brushed the hair away from her flushed cheeks, cupping the scarred one in his palm. “I would give myself to you for eternity, mate or no. But the wolf… he is not ready for such commitment. He has barely been out in the world on his own. He has his brother, who is only just responding to Oenomaus’ treatment, and his pack to worry over. The wolf shoulders enough responsibility.”

“Crixus,” Naevia said, amazed at her mate. “I’m surprised at you. Could it be that you’ve grown fond of the wolf?”

Crixus snorted. “Not a snowball’s chance in Hades. But he occupies the thoughts of my beloved, so I must keep an eye on him.”

It was Naevia’s turn to laugh. “I care for him as a brother, you need not worry yourself. Especially since his mate is a human male.”

Scowling, Crixus lowered his voice. “ _What?_ It is an abomination! Our kind will never tolerate it!”

Naevia pulled her mate into a quiet corner upstairs. “Who are you to call anyone’s mating an abomination?” she asked fiercely, letting him see the hurt his words had caused. “Is that what we are?”

“We are different!” He hastened to say. “We are the same species, able to produce children. No one knows that I’m –”

“Human?” Naevia finished for him. It was their most closely guarded secret. Everyone thought the bear clan who owned and operated Sanctuary were Katagaria, and most of them were, except for Crixus. He was an Arcadian masquerading as an animal, even able camouflage his scent so others of their kind would not be able to tell his true nature. 

“Do you really think it’s anyone else’s business that you have a human heart while mine is that of an animal? You are my mate,” Naevia said sternly. “Given to me by the fates and I love you with all my animal heart.”

“As I love you.” Crixus attempted to pull her into his arms, but she evaded him. 

“Who are you to denounce another’s pairing? Would you deny Agron the happiness that you bring to me? He didn’t choose this, but the Fates have given him his mate for a reason. And we should respect it.”

Breathing harshly, Crixus nodded his agreement. “We will have our work cut out for us when others come searching for them. Not just his pack, but those less… understanding of his unconventional mate.”

Wincing, Naevia realized he was right. Anyone intolerant enough to think that an Arcadian should not mate to a Katagaria would most certainly condemn a same-sex mating. “Perhaps we should call upon Spartacus for aid.”

 

_Fellini’s Restaurant, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Teleporting into a dark alley near the restaurant, Agron flashed into his wolf form and went in search of Nasir. 

Agron found him walking down the street with a slim blond woman. Sometimes humans mistook him for a very large dog in his animal form. Approaching them slowly, he attempted to make himself appear non-threatening. Try as he might, it didn’t seem to work. The woman spotted him and let out a shriek of fear, taking shelter behind Nasir’s back. 

Nasir, for his part, showed no outward panic, but rather fascination. He knelt down and held out his hand. “Here, boy.”

“Stop that!” The woman cried, trying to drag him backwards by grabbing a fistful of his shirt. “It could be vicious!”

“He’s not. Are you, boy?” He held out his hand again and Agron went to him, nuzzling Nasir’s fingers with his nose and forcing him to open them.

The last vestige of him that thought this might be some cruel joke died when he saw the mating mark on Nasir’s palm, identical to his own. This human was his mate. 

Nasir took the animal’s head into his hands and stared into its strange hazel-green eyes that reminded him so much of Agron. Or perhaps it was just because Agron had been on his mind all night. “I think it’s a wolf.”

Chadara yelped again and retreated further. “All the more reason for us to leave it alone.”

Nasir stroked the wolf’s head, smiling at its friendliness. It was a gorgeous white timber wolf. He seemed tame enough. “Is someone missing you?” He felt for a collar, but the animal didn’t have one. “Do you belong to anyone?”

As if it understood his words, the wolf shook its head, placing a large paw on his bent knee. 

Nasir laughed while the woman was getting more worked up by the second. “Can we go now? It’s a wonder that thing hasn’t taken a chunk out of your hand. Let’s not push our luck. I have work in the morning!” she tacked onto the end when Nasir made no indication that he was getting up. 

“Okay.” He pet the wolf one more time and reluctantly followed Chadara to his motel where she’d parked her car. He glanced back to see the wolf following silently behind them. For Chadara’s sake, he ignored the wolf until he settled her in her car and watched it drive off. 

Then he turned to the wolf and knelt down again. It went over to him immediately and licked his hand once, pushing his head into the caress Nasir gave him. “Want to come in? I have some food in there for you.”

The wolf made what Nasir took for a happy barking noise and trotted off in the direction of his room, though how it knew which one belonged to him was a mystery to Nasir. “You’ll have to be quiet. I’m not entirely sure if animals are allowed in here.” Bemused, he watched the wolf bob its head once as if it was nodding. 

Tremendously relieved that Nasir had taken him in, Agron entered the motel room, complete with a tiny kitchenette. He looked around once and sneezed, shaking his head. His mate was living here?

“Hey, now,” Nasir said in a light reprimanding tone. “This is temporary-home. I left my ex-boyfriend’s place and until I can make other arrangements, I live here.”

The wolf walked by him, rubbing against his leg before searching the rest of the room. Nasir smiled, feeling an instant fondness for the stray. 

“I’ll have to do some research on what wolves eat. What sounds good?” he asked rhetorically. “I have a loaf of bread and just about every flavor of ramen noodles in existence.” Nasir sat on the love seat, wishing he had something more to offer the wolf. 

Agron jumped up next to Nasir and rested his head in the human’s lap. He wanted to ask what made him so sad, but Agron suspected he already knew the answer. Nasir confirmed it a second later. 

“I’m glad to have you here, boy. I think Chadara might be right about me. I don’t know how to be alone. I’m miserable in relationships, but I can’t seem to avoid entering into them with the worst scum the universe has to offer. You won’t treat me like they did, will you?” Nasir rubbed the fur on the wolf’s neck and stared into strange hazel-green eyes.

“You remind me of someone. Can I call you Agron?”

Jumping up, the wolf butted its head against Nasir’s shoulder and licked his cheek once before settling down again. He couldn’t help but grin at the animal’s actions. 

“I’m glad you approve. Now, I’m sorry, but I’m beat and I’ve got to get up and open the shop in the morning.” Nasir went to the little kitchen and opened up the loaf of bread, offering a slice to the wolf. 

Agron sniffed it, shook his head, and trotted away from Nasir. 

“I’ll find you something else in the morning,” Nasir promised.

Then the human went about getting ready for bed, stripping out of his clothes and slipping on a pair of thin pajama bottoms, washing his face, and brushing his teeth. Nasir offered him a place on the bed, but Agron refused, curling up on the short sofa instead. If he slept next to this completely intoxicating and captivating human, he wasn’t certain he’d have the restraint not to flash into human form and ravish him where he lay. 

And that, of course, would probably freak him out. So Agron was resigned to no sleep tonight. While unconscious, he would immediately revert to his human base-form, which he could never allow Nasir to see again. 

Watching Nasir tonight made him realize what he’d be forcing him to give up by asking him to complete the mating ritual. His peace of mind, his safety, and the mundane world as he knew it would forever be gone, not to mention his right to choose. Agron would never take away his freedom to pick the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Nasir hadn’t chosen Agron, the Fates had. What right did Agron have to claim him?

He couldn’t expect Nasir, a human, to so easily accept his Were-hunter world. Who in their right mind would abandon everything they knew to live a dangerous life on the run with a man who was part wolf? Not to mention, that man’s impulsive, frustrating little brother who Agron could never shake even if he wanted to. 

As much as the wolf inside him snarled at the thought of walking away from its mate, Agron was human enough to see that it would be the best thing for Nasir. He would stay and protect him until the mating marks faded, then leave New Orleans with Duro and lead the pack far away from his gentle mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned on introducing Markus in this chapter, but the boys took up more space than I'd anticipated. Also, Crixus and Naevia just had to have their piece. Nasir's ex will appear next week.


	6. Markus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quickie reminder in case it isn't clear: Arcadians are humans who can turn into animals and Katagaria are animals who can turn human. Whenever a Were-hunter is sleeping, gravely wounded, or unconscious for whatever reason, they revert back to their base form, which for Agron is human.

_Nasir’s motel room, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Agron yawned and stretched out as much as the small, uncomfortable thing he was on allowed. He opened his eyes and tried to remember where he was. 

A light snore jerked his attention to the bed in the room and he remembered. He must have fallen asleep while watching over Nasir. Unconsciousness would have automatically turned him human. If Nasir had awakened and found Agron asleep in his room there would be hell to pay. 

He flashed to his wolf form, and not a second too soon for Nasir stirred and sat up in bed.

“Morning, Agron.” Nasir walked over to the wolf and stroked its head, struck again by how much the wolf’s eyes favored his delectable one-night stand. How he wished he could see the real Agron again. 

Agron forced himself to remain on his cushion while Nasir showered and got dressed. It was torture to be so close to his destined mate and not be able to touch him with tender, human hands. 

After a quick breakfast, which Agron again refused, he followed Nasir down the block and to his store, Pandora’s Box. He enjoyed watching the human work and interact with shoppers. Because his intention was not to frighten off paying customers, Agron tried to stay scarce, but within close proximity should Nasir need him. 

When his hunger got the best of him, Agron, convinced that nothing too awful could happen in ten minutes in broad daylight, went to the back room to teleport out in search of a quick meal. Like most Arcadians, Agron preferred to eat, and fuck, in human form. 

Nasir saw the wolf slip into the back. He was about to follow after him when the door chimed. Turning to greet the customer, his blood instantly turned to ice. 

“Marcus,” he choked out, wishing he had the counter between him and the taller man for the false sense of protection it offered.

“Nasir,” his ex-boyfriend greeted, his smile brittle. “I went over to your place to work things out and all your things were gone. Are you really so selfish that you’d leave me just like that? After all I’ve done for you?”

Nasir scoffed shakily. That hadn’t been _his_ place. His building had burnt down a month after he’d met Marcus, who had then paid for the apartment he’d just vacated. “I hated living there and you know it. I was like your pet or your mistress or something. You came over when you wanted to fuck me and then you left. I felt like a convenience for you.” He’d only stayed because Marcus had acted all sad and put out whenever Nasir had mentioned moving. He pretended that he liked taking care of him, but Nasir knew now it was only because Marcus liked having him under thumb. 

“A convenience?” Marcus strode over to him and Nasir forced himself not to cede ground. “Like I was interrupting any semblance of a life you may have had? Your life is in this sad little store and with me. I’ll send a truck by later to get all your stuff and move you back in. I already miss visiting my little convenience.” He smiled lopsidedly, his tone playful. 

Nasir’s mouth hung open in shock. “Do you not understand what’s going on here? I left you. We’re broken up. I have no intention of moving back into a place where you once tied me to the kitchen table and beat me when you thought I had been flirting with some random guy at Starbucks.”

“I _know_ you were cheating on me with him. I saw the way you looked at each other. But I forgave you and apologized for my overreaction. Can you see where you might have given me the wrong idea?” 

Nasir gave him no reprieve. “Then there was the evening you gagged me and left me handcuffed to the bed for nearly three hours.” Marcus had teased him relentlessly and fucked him unmercifully. He’d even sat in the living room watching television as he ate dinner that night and Nasir could do nothing but lie there, naked and with tears streaming down his face, praying to be released from the cuffs or to have his voice returned. Marcus hadn’t even stayed with him that night after it was all over to comfort him. He never did.

The bastard had the audacity to smile fondly at the memory. “That was just a game, my love. I let you orgasm at the end, I made you feel good.”

Nasir’s stomach churned at the callousness of Marcus’ words. Rather than allow the sickening memory to cripple him, he let his anger wash over him. His fear of being bound was no new thing, Marcus had just never seemed to care. He _hated_ the feeling of being tied down. And Marcus hadn’t _let_ him come, he’d forced it against Nasir’s will. 

“You’re delusional. I want you out of my store or I’ll throw you ass out.” He tried to sound brave, but truthfully, he was no physical match for Marcus and they both knew it.

Marcus shook his head and gave Nasir a patronizing smirk, cupping his cheek in one hand before smacking it. Hard. “Stop being a child and come to reason. You’re never going to get anyone as generous as me to look after you. I already promised that I’d take care of your debts with this dumpy store. Is it too much to expect a little gratitude in return?”

“I will not be your kept boy,” Nasir spat at him, shoving his finger in Marcus’s face angrily. “You can’t buy me and expect me to bend over whenever you crook your finger. I’d kill myself before I let you shove your shriveled dick in my ass again.”

Marcus didn’t seem to have heard his words, but stood staring at his hand. He grabbed it and forced the fingers to open fully, gazing at Nasir’s palm in horror. Nasir recognized the change in him instantly, the one that always preceded the violence. 

“What the fuck is this? Who have you been screwing, you filthy slut?” 

Marcus’ grip on his wrist was painfully tight and, as usual, Nasir could do nothing but try to stifle his whimper as his arm was twisted so far it was a miracle it didn’t break.

“ _Who is it?_ I can’t believe a puny thing like you got a woman to spread her legs for the amount time it takes for you to embarrass yourself. Did you tell her what a whore you are? How much you love a good hard cock in your ass? How you ache to choke on my dick?”

“ _What?!_ ”

“I bet you thought I wouldn’t find out, but this is all the evidence I need.” He kept a paralyzing grip on Nasir’s wrist. “I should have known a bitch like you wouldn’t be able to keep it in your pants. How many have there been? Men too, or just women? I’m morbidly curious.”

Nasir’s head spun. What the fuck was Marcus talking about? Why would he see the strange mark on his hand and assume he’d slept with a woman? He was too shocked at the ludicrousness of it all that he couldn’t think of words to defend himself. 

Then a bone-chilling snarl arose from behind him. The wolf had come out of nowhere and sunk its teeth deep into Marcus’ arm, forcing him to release Nasir’s wrist. Marcus let out an inhuman growl born deep in his throat that made Nasir stare even as he tried to restrain the wolf. 

“I’m going to kill you, you filthy dog! If I ever see you around Nasir again I’ll fucking kill you! He’s mine!”

Nasir gaped even more at Marcus’s words. His ex-boyfriend spoke to the wolf as though he believed the animal could understand his threats. Resisting the suicidal urge to verbally question Marcus’s mental stability, Nasir managed to pull the wolf back, miraculously receiving no wounds in the process. 

Every cell in Agron’s body vibrated with rage. Only the presence of Nasir’s restraining arms around him kept his violence leashed. How dare this man put hands on his mate in such an aggressive manner? Strength should only be used to protect, never to intimidate. 

He allowed Nasir to lock him in the backroom, then he flashed out onto the street as soon as he got ahold of his blinding fury. The last thing he wanted to do was lose control and accidentally hurt Nasir. Half of his anger was directed inwardly. He thought he’d only be away a few minutes, but he’d been gone too long and allowed Nasir to be attacked. 

“If that wolf comes at me again, I’m going to gut it!” Marcus gestured wildly at the door Nasir had just closed. His arm was bleeding freely, but the pain didn’t seem to register in his brain. 

“You are in my store, threatening me! He saw you hurting me and reacted. It was your own damn fault. Now leave before I set him loose on you again.”

Marcus walked right up to him and stared him down. “I’ve put too much time into you to let you fuck me over now. I don’t appreciate this attitude and won’t allow this kind of disobedience in the future.” Suddenly his look turned tender and he cupped Nasir’s chin. “Though your ass is by far your best feature, I do love these cock-sucking lips.” Keeping Nasir’s face tilted towards him in a tight grip, he brought his other hand up to brush fingers against his mouth. “You’re my perfect whore – until you start mouthing off and thinking for yourself.” 

With a cruel twist of his lips, Marcus continued, “The gods never meant for such a slut to speak except to beg your master for a mouthful of hot cum. I’m going to put you in your place, little man. If you behave, I won’t punish you anywhere my marks will show.” 

Nasir’s heart raced in resentment. Whenever Marcus had talked like this in the past, he’d taken it in silence, then done everything he could think of to get back on Marcus’s good side. Now the memories of what he’d been reduced to burned through him. It wasn’t in his nature to be quiet and submissive, yet Marcus had conditioned him into a docile, meek mouse and he hated it. 

“You won’t ever touch me again.”

Marcus reached for him defiantly, but Nasir smacked his hand away before it could make contact with his face. 

Cheeks reddening in anger, Marcus said though gritted teeth, “Do you know what I do to bad boys who strike their masters? I keep them locked up until they learn some fucking manners. You won’t see the outside of my basement for a week!”

Face twisting in disgust, Nasir grabbed Marcus’s shoulders and used it as leverage to knee him in the groin. Marcus went down cursing and clutching his crotch. 

The door chimed and Nasir looked up automatically, a grin spreading across his face at the most magnificent sight he could ever imagine. 

“Agron!” He looked _good_. Strong and confident, and unearthly sexy in his tight black t-shirt and jeans that looked like they had been custom molded for his body. Nasir wanted to run to him but shock kept him rooted to the spot. He’d never thought to set eyes on this man again. 

Agron glanced briefly at Marcus whimpering on the floor, then walked up to Nasir. He used his magic to conceal the mating mark on his hand. Then, ghosting his thumbs across dark cheekbones, Agron bent down and claimed his lips in a soft kiss. He groaned at the easy way Nasir yielded to him and kept an arm wrapped around his shoulders as he turned to face Marcus. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Marcus demanded, struggling to stand. 

“I’m his new boyfriend,” Agron said simply. He turned to Nasir. “Honey bear, I thought you got rid of this trash.”

Nasir’s face hurt with the effort of trying to curtail his grin at Agron’s silly endearment. He was so grateful to Agron in this moment he could hug and kiss him and never let go. “I did, cuddle muffin. But here he is, crawling back to me. Apparently, you’re dating a very in-demand guy.” He kept his voice light and teasing, knowing how much it thoroughly pissed Marcus off. “It’s sad, really. I may need a tissue.” 

Unable to help himself, Nasir let loose his smile and looked up at Agron. His heart clenched at the protective way Agron held him to his side and at the barely concealed anger in his eyes when he looked at Marcus. 

Finally managing to stand upright, though still several inches shorter than Agron, Marcus glared his hatred at him. “What are you doing with _him?_ We may have gotten into a fight, but we’ll work it out. You need to stay away from him or you’ll regret it.”

Agron took his aggression in stride. “Nasir has already made it clear that you two are over. Bow out with what little dignity you still have.” He spoke calmly, but with the authority of an alpha, his birthright. Even Marcus, as deranged and fuming mad as he was, wasn’t suicidal. 

Nasir tightened his fist in Agron’s shirt as he watched Marcus back away slowly, never turning his back on them. It was with great satisfaction that Nasir noted the fact this Marcus was still limping, and hopefully would be for the rest of the day. 

“You and I aren’t finished talking, little man.” Then he looked to Agron and said spitefully, “He’s the biggest cock-whore I’ve ever met. My one regret is not keeping him chained to my bed where I know he can’t fuck around on me. Begging for cock is the only thing he’s ever excelled at and he’ll take it from _anyone_.”

Agron took one step forward, his blood pounding in his ears, but Nasir stopped him with a hand on his chest. If it had been anyone other than his mate touching him, Agron would already be slamming this asshole’s head through the concrete. 

“And you’re welcome, by the way,” Marcus called on his way out of the store. “I take great pride in his training. Clearly, more time should have been spent working towards obedience, but he no longer has a gag-reflex, thanks to me. And do you know how difficult it is to teach a slut not to masturbate without permission? It took more than two weeks in a cock-cage for him to learn not to touch what belongs to his master.”

Nasir looked up at Agron just in time to see his self-restraint snap like a rubber band. He tore away from Nasir’s grip and rushed at Marcus.

He drew his right arm back for a punch. Marcus saw it coming and blocked his fist with both hands, which left him open for Agron’s lightening quick upper-cut. It was with grim satisfaction that Agron watched the man’s head snap back, then he stumbled and fell onto his ass. 

Agron stood tall above him and pressed his boot against Marcus’s throat. “You have a big mouth and not a damn thing to back it up. I already know where I’m going to hide the tiny, bloody pieces of your body if you show your face here again. I won’t bother teaching you a lesson about respect, because the next time I set eyes on you, I’ll gouge yours out with a teaspoon and feed them to you.” He put more pressure on the neck beneath his heel and was not disappointed when he saw eyes bulging and face reddening.

Through his choking gasps, Marcus managed to whisper, “ _I’m going to kill you_.”

“You’re insane.” If this guy had been anyone else, Agron would have felt pity for his obvious break with reality. He’d be doing the world a favor, really, by ridding it of this scum. 

“Agron, stop! You’ll kill him!” Nasir was stunned at the swiftness of Agron’s attack and the coldness of his tone. This was not the man who’d touched and caressed him so tenderly the night before. He had absolutely no doubts that Agron could, and would, carry out his threats. 

“Would that be so bad?” Agron didn’t look at Nasir as he spoke. “It would give me such pleasure to rid you of this cockroach forever. A way to repay you for the quilt.”

Nasir laughed without humor. “I’d really rather have a coffee date or something. Not this.” He didn’t want to think of what would happen to Agron if he were to permanently injure or, god forbid, kill anyone, no matter how much they deserved it. 

“Are you sure?” He glanced up at Nasir this time. “I won’t let him hurt you ever again. You have my word.”

“I believe you. And so does he.” Nasir tugged Agron away from Marcus and gave him a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Agron felt so good in his arms that Nasir almost forgot about Marcus. But when he looked to the place where Marcus had been, he saw the man had already vanished. Nasir hadn’t even heard the bell chime on the door because he’d been so absorbed with Agron. 

“You know not to listen to any of that garbage, right?” Agron whispered softly. “Total bullshit. The things he said, you aren’t… I don’t –”

“I know. What are you doing back here?”

Agron lowered his eyes and took a step back. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have come, but I –”

“Stop.” Nasir countered Agron’s step backwards by taking a step forwards and halted his words by placing his fingers against Agron’s soft lips. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m glad you’re here. I don’t know how I’d have gotten rid of ass-face otherwise.”

A dimple appeared in Agron’s cheek. “Glad to be of service. I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“You came right when I needed you.” He just wished Agron hadn’t heard all that shit Marcus had said about him. 

Nasir looked at him with trust-filled eyes he somehow felt like he didn’t deserve. “So, what you said earlier, were you kidding because you just didn’t want me to kill that dill-weed in your store?”

“Huh?” The bashful look on Agron’s face was do adorable all he wanted to do was pinch his cheeks. 

“When you said you’d rather have a coffee date? I’d like to – I mean, would you maybe want to go… food or coffee sometime?” He shrugged, trying to act nonchalant.

Nasir smiled. Agron was so cute when he was shy and stumbling over his words. “I’d love to.”

More thrilled by the idea than he should be, Agron released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Going out with Nasir wasn’t a good idea, it would only make it that much harder to leave at the end of the three week period. But he was curious about the man the Fates had chosen for him and ached to learn more about him. 

“When do you get off?”

Nasir hesitated, then made an impulsive decision. “Why don’t I close up a little early today? We can grab a late lunch. It’s been kind of a slow day anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Agron asked, secretly thrilled that Nasir would rather go out with him than manage his shop. 

“Yeah. I’m just going to let out my wolf and we can take off. He kind of went nuts when Marcus was here and I had to lock him up. Not that the thought of letting him maul the guy wasn’t incredibly appealing.”

 _Shit!_ When Nasir’s back was turned to open the backroom door, Agron quickly flashed into the room in his wolf’s form. He let Nasir walk forward several paces before dashing out, making the door chime with his powers so Nasir would believe he ran outside. He’d only just flashed back to human form when Nasir returned. 

“Did you see a wolf run out here?”

“Yeah, he ran outside. Should I have stopped him?”

“No, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

Agron waited as Nasir locked up Pandora’s Box and fell in pace next to him as he walked down the street. “So, how long have you had a pet wolf?”

“Um, he’s not really a pet. He followed me home last night and I kind of just took him in.”

“Not many people would take in a stray like that. It says a lot about your character.”

Nasir laughed uncomfortably. “No. I think I get more out of his company than he does from mine. He’s just a calming presence. Kind of like you.” He could feel a blush rising in his face and neck, and pointedly avoided looking at Agron. 

“You are a wonder to me.” Agron shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching out to feel Nasir’s warmed cheek. “Your presence soothes me, yet being near you also brings my blood to a boil. I don’t know how you do that.” But he knew what it meant. He was already getting too attached to Nasir.

He glanced up at Agron but saw nothing but sincerity in his gaze. “I’m not doing anything,” Nasir replied honestly. 

“That’s what amazes me so.” Agron couldn’t help from reaching out and grabbing Nasir’s hand. He’d seen humans doing this and hoped Nasir wouldn’t object to it. He briefly imagined looking at their mating marks side by side. But he needed to keep his hidden from Nasir so as not to freak him out. How could he even explain it? 

“You do that to me without conscious effort. You wouldn’t even have to try, you could have me wrapped around your little finger with such ease that it pisses me off to no end.”

Squeezing Agron’s hand, Nasir let himself grin widely at the words. “Where do you want to eat?”

“I’m following you, babe.”


	7. Deeper

_Nasir’s motel room, New Orleans, Louisiana_

“We shouldn’t do this.”

“I agree.” Nasir nodded vehemently, then tugged the hem of Agron’s shirt up and over his head. “Totally bad idea.”

“Then we should stop,” Agron’s words ended in a moan as Nasir’s lips closed around one of his nipples. Nasir bit him softly and he gasped. “Do that again!”

“Am I stopping or doing it again? You’re being very confusing.”

Agron smiled at his mate’s playful tone. Nasir continued exploring his chest with his mouth while his hands teased the waistband of Agron’s jeans. “I’m burning through all my self-control here, babe. If you really don’t think we should do this, now would be the time to stop.”

Nasir laughed darkly and wrapped his arms around Agron’s shoulders. “Do you really want me to stop?”

“No,” Agron growled. He settled his hands on Nasir’s ribcage and pulled him forward, bringing a knee between his legs. “I want to pound into you until I can’t remember my own name, feel you hot and tight around me until I think I’m about to explode.”

Nasir’s breath caught in his throat at the feel of hard, corded muscle between his thighs. “This would feel so much better if we were both naked.” Despite the layers of clothing that dulled the friction, Nasir rubbed himself against Agron’s thigh, desperate for anything that would ease the ache. 

Agron laughed at Nasir’s words. He loved that the man had opened himself up enough to be so forthright about his desires. It was obvious that Nasir wasn’t a passive lover by nature, and he sought to draw him out further. 

“Then get naked for me.” Agron released Nasir, his hands going immediately to his fly to rid himself of his jeans. Nasir did the same, yet he moved excruciatingly slowly. The look on Nasir’s face said he did it to torture him. Impatient to see his body, Agron quickly took over the task of stripping him and ensured they were both bare in record time. 

After an adoring kiss, Agron spun Nasir around so they were pressed back to front. Remembering what Nasir said about not liking to be fucked from behind, he paused a moment and wrapped his arms tightly around the slighter man, splaying his hands wide across that beautiful flesh, trying to envelope him in warmth and security.

“I would die before I hurt you,” he whispered into Nasir’s ear. It didn’t matter that they would never complete the mating ritual, Agron would do whatever proved necessary to shield Nasir from harm, even from himself. It seemed very important that Nasir should know that, if he knew nothing else. “Do you trust me to protect you?”

Nasir took several calming breaths to steady his nerves. The feel of anyone standing at his back conjured memories he always did his best to keep buried. But he focused on Agron this time, on his spicy smell, on his powerful build cocooning him and infusing him with strength. 

“I trust you.”

Agron kissed the juncture where Nasir’s neck met his shoulder. “Thank you,” Agron murmured, wanting to show that he recognized Nasir’s sacrifice, his choice to be vulnerable to him. “Wrap your arms around my neck.”

Nasir complied, his heart rate spiking when Agron began a slow exploration with his large hands. Agron took his time touching everywhere he could reach, pinching and rolling hardened nipples between his fingers, and finally, wrapping around his throbbing cock. 

“I could touch your forever. You’re beautiful.”

Nasir hummed noncommittally. “That again?”

Agron chuckled. “I’ll say it until you truly believe me. Then I’ll tell you again, and again.”

“Stroke my dick,” Nasir demanded, digging his fingers into the muscles at Agron’s back. It was taking a huge amount of self-control to keep his hands up and out of the way. He wanted to reciprocate the confident touches Agron was giving him. 

Agron obeyed his mate at once, one hand on his length and the other cupping his tender sac. His own cock pressed against Nasir’s ass, but he ignored his own ache for the moment. “I’m going to take us to the bed. Make sure you have a good hold on me.” He emphasized his words by gently squeezing Nasir’s sex and pulling up slightly. 

Nasir responded by intertwining his fingers around Agron’s neck. “Okay.”

Ever so slowly, Agron straightened, keeping one hand wrapped around the base of Nasir’s sex and the other flat against his lower stomach. When his feet left the floor, Nasir bent and entwined his legs with Agron’s the best he could and arched against him, allowing himself to be carried to his crappy motel bed. 

Though Agron had no trouble lifting him, Nasir was more solidly built than he appeared. He relished the feel of that slender body pressed intimately against him and it was with great regret that he broke the contact and placed Nasir in the middle of the bed. 

Agron made such a striking sight standing above him, yet the man looked at _him_ as though he were something special. Agron could have anyone he set his eyes on and it still blew Nasir’s mind that he’d look twice at him. 

He wanted to ask Agron what he was staring at, but Nasir already knew the gist of what his response would be. Instead he said, “As much as I’m enjoying this view, I’d like it a lot more if you were down here with me.”

A becoming flush spread across Agron’s cheeks. “You want my mouth?”

“God, yes! Suck me.”

Wasting no time, Agron climbed between the welcoming V Nasir made with his legs and took the tip of his cock between his lips. He treasured the sounds of pleasure he elicited and worked to send Nasir flying higher. Knowing he was giving his mate pleasure spurred him on and made him desperate to feel him from the inside. 

“You like that?” Agron asked rhetorically. He knew in the way Nasir panted and writhed that he liked it. “What do you want?”

Nasir struggled to form words. His body was on fire everywhere Agron touched him. “My balls… suck my balls.”

Agron complied, inhaling Nasir’s musky natural scent, branding it into his memory. He weighed each orb carefully on his tongue and rubbed Nasir’s tight hole with his thumb. 

“Oh, so good. More… please more,” Nasir moaned. Suddenly the need to have Agron inside of him was overwhelming. “Please, sir. Fuck me… fuck me now!”

Nasir felt Agron pull away from him and freeze. It took a few seconds before he realized what he’d just said. “Oh, _shit_. Oh my god. Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He covered his face in his hands, unable to face the reality of what had flown out of his mouth. His erection flagged immediately and his entire body flushed in humiliation. 

But then Agron was there, pulling his hands away from his face and kissing him. When they finally drew apart for air, Agron stared deeply into his eyes, his gaze full of concern and Nasir couldn’t turn away from him again.

“Is… are you… is that what you want?” Agron asked hesitantly. 

“ _God, no!_ I can’t believe I said that. I’m sorry, I’m _so_ sorry. What’s _wrong_ with me?” Marcus was right about him. He was a dirty whore who – 

“Nasir, no,” Agron interrupted his silent tirade. “There’s _nothing_ wrong with you,” he said fiercely. “Don’t let him make you believe otherwise.”

“Marcus fucked me up real bad and he keeps screwing with me even when he’s… I never wanted that kind of relationship, but he insisted and…”

“He dominated you. Forced it on you.” It wasn’t a question. 

Thinking of Marcus always left a bad taste in his mouth. “He had rules. Not just in bed.” Nasir had no desire to share any of them with Agron, to let him know the full extent of the degradations he’d allowed of himself. One of the latest ones – Marcus liked to be called ‘sir’ and it had gotten so ingrained during sex, that he’d started requesting it in their regular lives too. That’s when Nasir knew he had to pull the plug. He was mortified that it had leaked out with Agron. 

“You’re nothing like him, I swear. He’s delusional and I don’t even know why I did that with you – I’m sorry.”

Agron kissed him again. “I don’t want you to ever apologize for that animal again.” He mapped Nasir’s chest with a gentle hand, tweaking his sensitive nipples until he had him pushing up into the caresses. “Your body is my haven. I want to be inside you.”

Nasir looked down and saw that Agron’s erection had wilted in the wake of his minor freak-out. He reached for it, but Agron grabbed his wrist. 

Bringing it to his lips, Agron kissed the thudding pulse point. Then he seemed to pull a small tube of lube out of thin air. “If you touch me, I’ll embarrass myself and this’ll be over before either of us wants it to be. Will you prepare yourself for me?”

A sly smile spread across Nasir’s lips. “You want a show?” He positioned himself at the head of the bed, propped up by pillows with his legs spread wide. “Well, I want a show too.” His gaze lowered to Agron’s cock, which was already jumping in interest at the hot look in his eyes. “Get it hard for me.”

“Fuck,” Agron muttered, hand closing around his length instantly. His erection roared back to life watching Nasir stretch and lube himself. No one had a right to be so incredibly alluring. “What are you thinking?”

Nasir’s breath hitched when he prodded his prostate. “That I wish it was your fingers in me.” Larger than his own, so much thicker. “How’s that cock? Is it ready for me?”

“Are _you?_ ” 

“Come here.” 

Agron didn’t hesitate to crawl over to him and press another kiss to those damnably sexy lips. Then something occurred to him. “Would being on top make it easier for you?”

Nasir stared up at him in shock. Seldom had his past boyfriends allowed him to be on top, especially when he bottomed. His place was beneath. “You’d want that?”

Giving him a smoldering look, Agron reversed their positions so that Nasir straddled his thighs. As with the lube, he appeared to pull a condom from thin air. “Put it on me. I want you to ride my cock. Use it like a toy to pleasure yourself with.” 

Nasir’s dick throbbed at Agron’s words and leaked onto his stomach. He began rolling the condom down Agron’s length, letting out a half laugh half moan at the growled “hurry!” his slow and careful actions received.

Then Agron was clutching his thighs as Nasir lowered himself on the thick shaft. He immediately set up a fast pace that Agron matched beneath him. It was such an intoxicating feeling to be the one in control, to have such a powerful, sexy man beneath him and at his mercy. 

The closer they both got to release, the more erratic their motions became. Agron jerked and thrust beneath him, the muscles of his stomach and chest quivering nicely beneath his skin. Nasir ran his hands over them, admiring the way they moved and bunched, hard as steel. 

“I’m close, I’m close,” Nasir panted. “Finish me off.”

Agron stripped his cock fervently in one hand while he used the other to bounce Nasir higher in his lap. It took only seconds until Nasir succumbed and shot on Agron’s impressively cut abs. 

Gritting his teeth to stave off his own orgasm, Agron laid Nasir on his side, lifted his leg, and continued to thrust into his still-quaking body. The blissed-out, passion-drunk look on Nasir’s face had Agron coming a minute later. 

Quite content to lie silently next to his mate, Agron draped an arm and leg over his body, needing to be close but not wanting to crush Nasir beneath his weight. The human didn’t seem to mind the embrace, rather he inched closer, placing a tentative hand on Agron’s chest. 

Agron couldn’t look away while Nasir seemed to doze off. Did all Were-hunters feel this way for their mates? Like nothing in the world could be amiss if only they were in your arms, like one smile or kind word from them would brighten even the most horrible day. It scared him how close he already felt to his delicate yet strong-willed human. 

Even though he knew it would gut him to disappear in less than three weeks, Agron couldn’t help but allow his soul to slowly bind itself to Nasir’s. He knew he’d be forced to leave that part of himself behind, but it didn’t seem so bad if he could leave him and know he’d be safe. Safe from his pack, safe from Marcus, and safe himself. 

Nasir’s eyes fluttered open and coherent thought fled him. “Are you staying the night?”

Agron frowned at Nasir’s tone. “I can leave, if that’s what you want.” He started to pull away.

“No!” Nasir’s hand flew out and settled on Agron’s neck before he could censor the action. He blushed faintly at how desperate he sounded. “I don’t want you to go. It’s just that… In all the months I dated Mar- my ex, he’d never wanted to spent the night with me.”

Agron snorted. “Little wonder. I’m shocked he’s even house-broken. I’d call him an animal, but I wouldn’t want to insult all the animals I know.”

“What?”

Agron froze and tried to imagine how the words would sound to a human. He’d known at once that Marcus was a Katagaria wolf by the stench of him. The reasoning behind why he would refuse to spend the night with a human was obvious to Agron, but wouldn’t be to Nasir. Sleeping returned their kind to their base-form, which for Marcus would be a wolf. 

“I just meant… I don’t know. One day I’ll come up with a word that adequately describes my intense feelings of loathing and hostility towards him.”

“So, do you want to stay?” Nasir blushed endearingly, as though he had any cause at all to doubt Agron’s affections. 

His eyelids were already drooping involuntarily. “As long as you’ll have me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of his phone vibrating woke Nasir. He reached blindly for it on the bedside table and answered it without checking the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“My love? Gods, it’s good to hear your sweet voice.”

Nasir’s stomach turned over. “Marcus.” He glanced at the alarm clock and decided that 7:15 was way too early to be dealing with him. He gave Agron’s still sleeping form a wistful look. Why couldn’t he have woken up to _him_ instead? “What the fuck more is there to say?”

__Marcus didn’t respond to Nasir’s aggression. “I feel terrible about the way we left things yesterday. I hardly slept a wink. I want to make everything up to you. Let me take you to breakfast.”_ _

__Nasir scoffed. He was all too accustomed to this side of Marcus. The one brimming with kind words and remorse. “I don’t want to see you again,” he said clearly, keeping his voice low. “I’m moving on.”_ _

__There was a long pause in which Nasir could hear harsh breathing on the other end of the phone. “You’re not alone, are you? I can hear it in your voice.”_ _

__He swallowed hard before answering. “That is no longer your concern. I need you to stop calling me and stop coming by the store.”_ _

__“Do you really think I’m giving up on us that easily?” An edge of madness bled out in Marcus’s tone. “ _No one_ is going to stand in the way of our love. I may have made some mistakes, but you have _no right_ to go fuck around with the first guy you meet. Does the time we spent together mean nothing?”_ _

__“No, it doesn’t. Not anymore.” Nasir turned and saw that Agron was awake and watching him silently. How much of Marcus could he hear on the other end? “We are no longer together,” he stated clearly. “There’s nothing you can say to change my mind.”_ _

__Marcus chuckled darkly, the sound sending a chill down Nasir’s spine. “We’ll see about that. I’m not the type of guy to say ‘if I can’t have you, nobody will’, but I can make damn sure nobody else will want you after I’m through with you, you worthless cum-bucket.”_ _

__Nasir nearly jumped out of his skin when Agron made a sudden, lightning-fast motion to snatch the phone from his grip, but Marcus had already ended the call. He hadn’t realized his ‘guest’ was awake enough to do that._ _

__“Agron, it’s okay.”_ _

__“No, it’s not. It makes me sick, the way he talks to you. You don’t deserve it and it sends me into a level of pissed off that I just want to take a crowbar to his face and –”_ _

__Nasir ended his words by cupping the back of Agron’s head in his hands and claiming his lips in a kiss. His tongue begged for entrance into Agron’s mouth, which was quickly granted. A hand ran down his side and rested on his naked hip. He let out an involuntary whimper when Agron squeezed lightly._ _

__Agron released him quicker than a rattlesnake could strike. He looked down at Nasir’s hip and gasped, his eyes wide in alarm._ _

__“What?” Nasir followed his gaze. From the look on Agron’s face, one might expect to see cockroaches or decomposing road kill in the bed, but he saw nothing. “ _What?_ ” he repeated more urgently when Agron didn’t respond right away. _ _

__“I hurt you, I’m so sorry.” His fingers trailed feather-light across his hip._ _

__Nasir scowled and looked again. Then he saw the bruises in the shape of Agron’s large hand. He scoffed. “Agron, no, this is nothing. It’ll be gone by the end of the day.”_ _

__“I didn’t realize how hard I’d gripped you.” He’d never had this problem with Arcadian lovers. His kind didn’t bruise for longer than a few minutes at the most. His gut twisted at the sight of the mark on Nasir. “Why didn’t you tell me I’d hurt you?” he asked fiercely, almost angrily._ _

__“Because I honestly didn’t feel it. Your touch only brings me pleasure and at the time, all I wanted was for you to hold me tighter. It doesn’t even hurt now, it was just because you prodded it the wrong way. You should have seen some of the bruises…” He trailed off as Agron’s eyes flashed in rage._ _

__“Marcus? I’m going to kill him.”_ _

__The raw honesty in his voice scared Nasir. “No. Promise me, Agron, that you won’t go after him. Not because I care about him,” he inserted quickly. “Because I don’t want you to go to jail for murder. I – I like having you around,” he said shyly._ _

__And just like that, Agron’s anger melted away. He smiled and cupped Nasir’s cheek. “I like being around.” But his conscious twisted uncomfortably, wishing that he could respect Nasir’s wish for him to leave Marcus alone, but knowing that he couldn’t leave while that animal was alive and able to harass anyone. He couldn’t lie to him and promise to stay away from that monster._ _

__Nasir returned his smile before a dark shape on Agron’s palm blurred in his peripheral vision. His heart stopped when he grabbed Agron’s hand and saw the mark it bore._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could have gotten this out a few days ago, but being out of town and then battling a migraine seriously cut into my writing time. Sorry! I'm trying to keep the posting consistent.


	8. Crumbling

_Nasir’s motel room, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Agron cringed as Nasir held their marked palms next to each other for inspection. He cursed himself for forgetting to shield the symbol the Fates had given him, but the phone call from that repulsive ass-hat and the bruises he’d left on Nasir had driven it far from his thoughts. Now he held his breath as he waited for Nasir to react. 

Nasir’s tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of his mouth. When he managed to unstick it, he asked quietly, “What the hell is this? You burned me?”

“No!” Agron said quickly, offended that he’d think such a thing. “Nasir –” He reached for him but Nasir dodged his touch and jumped out of bed, reaching for a nearby bathrobe. 

“Seriously, what is this?” Nasir demanded, knotting the belt tightly around his waist. “I haven’t known you a week and we both have the same strange mark? What did you do to me?” 

“It wasn’t me,” Agron insisted, catching himself before conjuring clothes onto his body. One major fuck up a day was enough for him. It was too easy to be himself around Nasir – the self he’d tried his best to keep hidden. He jerkily pulled on his shirt and pants from last night. “The last thing I’d ever do is intentionally cause you pain.”

Nasir wasn’t even looking at him, he was staring at his palm in fear and revulsion. “Why would you mark me? Is this something you do to guys before you kidnap them? Before you sell them into slavery?”

Now Agron was getting angry. “Nasir, stop! I didn’t do anything, would you fucking let me explain?”

“You _branded_ me!” Nasir accused, holding up his marked hand. 

“I didn’t – I didn’t brand you, but I am the reason it’s there. Nasir, please…” He reached for his mate, but Nasir evaded him, staring at him like he was a stranger. It hurt more than he would have thought possible. 

“Get out,” Nasir said though gritted teeth. “Get out or I’ll call the police.” To his immense shock and relief, Agron backed out of his motel room and Nasir locked the door soundly behind him. A sharp pain pierced his chest when he leaned against the barrier between himself and Agron. 

Agron rested his forehead against Nasir’s door. “Nasir, please let me in! I need to explain.” This wasn’t how it was supposed to go, but maybe it was for the best. He couldn’t be tempted by a man who hated him, yet the animal in him wanted its mate at any cost. His two natures warred against each other, increasing the turmoil within him. How could things have gone to shit so quickly? 

Collapsing against the door, Agron’s chest heaved, struggling to draw breath under the weight of Nasir’s rejection. Could Arcadians have heart attacks? He’d never heard of any cases, nor did he know what they felt like, but he thought he might be experiencing something akin to one right now. 

He tried to see it from a human perspective. Not knowing anything about his world, one might think the mark nefarious. It wasn’t Nasir’s fault…

Without checking to see if anyone was watching, Agron flashed to his white timbre wolf form. His senses were keener in animal form and he used them to paint a picture in his mind of Nasir. Blocking out everything but the sound of his mate’s labored breathing, Agron emptied his mind of all thoughts but protecting him until the fucking marks faded. Then Nasir would be rid of him forever and he could focus on his brother and keeping them safe from their pack. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nasir pressed his forehead against the door, feeling like he’d just hacked off his arm and thrown it into a garbage disposal. He needed someone. His parents had died ages ago and he wouldn’t trust his step father or his bastard kid to piss on him if he were on fire. He didn’t have many friends who – Chadara! 

Suppressing the urge to kick himself for not thinking of her right away, Nasir ran over to his phone and speed-dialed her. 

“Hey! If you had called like ten minutes ago, I could have gotten you Starbucks.”

“Chadara! My boyfriend is trying to kill me.”

She made a noise like she’d just coughed up some coffee. “What?!”

“Well, okay. Probably not,” he admitted, “But I’m pretty freaked out.”

“I’m coming over, just a few blocks away from your motel. What has that mother fucker done now?”

“The weird thing is – Wait, who are you talking about?” Her animosity surprised him. 

“Marcus, of course!”

“No, Agron,” he said as he quickly pulled on clothes. 

“Who?” 

“The guy you saw me with the other night. Uh, Mr. Hotness?”

Chadara moaned pitifully. “Oh, no! Mr. Hunky? Too bad. But I said, didn’t I? I said it was a bad idea to get involved. I should just be responsible for all your life choices from this point onward since I’m always right.”

“Yeah, right,” Nasir snorted. “You predicted that he was going to brand me.”

“He did _what?_ I’ll kill him!”

“Would you shut up and get over here so we can talk in person?”

She ended the call and a second later someone pounded on the door, making him jump. He was glad no one had been around to see that. 

“Nasir, it’s me!” Chadara called from outside. “Hurry up and let me in before your wolf attacks me. It looks like it’s ready to take down the door.”

He rushed to let them in, relieved beyond measure to see his friends. He’d begun to think he’d never see the animal again. Nasir knelt down to greet him and the wolf pushed almost desperately into his caresses. 

Chadara locked the door behind her and then turned to face Nasir. “Okay, let me see it.”

Reluctantly, Nasir removed himself from the wolf’s eager embrace to show her the mark on his palm. “Remember this? It showed up right after I met Agron and he’s got one exactly like it.”

Chadara held the mark close to her face, examining it carefully. Licking her thumb, she then rubbed at the mark aggressively, like she expected it to wipe off. Nasir knew that wouldn’t work – it was only the first thing he’d tried. “You think he’s the one that tattooed you?”

“Who else? His is a perfect copy. It’s weird. He’s signaled me out for something, hasn’t he? Like his next murder victim or… or…” Even as the words were leaving his mouth, Nasir knew them to be false. A small voice in the back of his mind rebuked him for overreacting, but he didn’t like the thought of anyone permanently marking him. It seemed like something Marcus would do to claim him as property.

But Agron had seemed so different, kind and tender and exceedingly gentle. 

_Marcus had been that way in the beginning too_. His mind tortured him for a moment as he imagined what Marcus’s symbol would look like. It would be a more obvious sign of ownership, on his neck, perhaps – like a collar. 

Nasir banished the thought. Agron was _not_ Marcus. “I’m so confused,” he confessed, collapsing onto his bed. The wolf took two steps forward, like it was about to join him, but it froze in place and curled up on the floor instead. 

Chadara sat next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. She said soothingly, “Why don’t you stay with me for a few days? You can sort it out and he won’t be able to find and harass you.”

That somehow got the wolf moving again. It jumped up next to Nasir and butted its head against his shoulder for a cuddle. Chadara immediately put several feet between her and the wolf. 

“Can he come too?”

Chadara chewed her lip, clearly trying to think of a nice way of saying _hell no_.

“Please?” He gave her his best puppy dog eyes. 

“Fine,” she snapped. “But if it craps on my floor or takes a bite out of me, he’s out on the street.”

Ten minutes later, Nasir was following Chadara to her car with a duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. “I hate to leave the shop closed.”

“I know.” Chadara unlocked her car for him. “But maybe it’s good that you change up your schedule once and a while. If Marcus is still coming around…”

“You’re right,” Nasir said mournfully. He let the wolf into the backseat and dropped his bag on the floor. He and Chadara rode to her house in silence, though he could tell it was taking all of her self-control not to bombard him with questions. He appreciated her consideration. 

Chadara took the entire day off to stay and keep him company – and partially because she didn’t trust the wolf inside her house, despite Nasir’s numerous assertions that he was very well-mannered. 

Since Nasir wasn’t the greatest cook, he decided to order pizza for dinner that evening to thank her for letting him stay with her. 

“Are you sure two is enough? Does Sybil eat pizza?”

“Yeah and two is fine, but I can call and tell her not to come over if you want.”

“Absolutely not! You made plans with her long before I had to butt in. You don’t have to keep me away from people, you know. I’m not contagious or anything.”

Chadara gazed at him skeptically, like she thought he might freak out any second. He hated to admit it, but she knew him pretty well. The only way he wouldn’t spend the rest of the evening obsessing over Agron would be with the distraction company and friends offered. 

“Do you have beer?” he asked, wanting to change the subject. “Maybe I should run to the store…”

The wolf, who had appeared to be napping in the living room, perked up. He walked lazily over to the front door and plopped down in front of it, as though telling Nasir that he wouldn’t be going anywhere tonight. 

“No, I have beer. Sit down and relax.”

Nasir sighed. He had been “relaxing” all day. He hated that she handled with kiddie gloves, but couldn’t help but loving her for looking out for him. 

Suddenly, the wolf jumped up and growled quietly at the door. 

“Uh… Nasir? Could you move your pet so I can let Sybil inside?”

Guiding the wolf back into the living room with a gentle hand on its neck, Nasir then turned to greet Chadara’s friend. 

“Hi, I’m Sybil,” she said warmly, extended a gloved hand, though the weather wasn’t cold enough to warrant winter clothes. 

“Nasir,” he greeted, accepting her handshake. 

Sybil’s attention was drawn to the large, white wolf standing at Nasir’s side. She scowled and looked at it carefully. “Is that…”

“You know its owner?” Chadara piped up hopefully. 

“If that’s who I think it is, he doesn’t have an owner.”

Bemused, Nasir watched as the wolf walked over to Sybil and stared at her quizzically as she knelt down and greeted the animal like it was a person. She didn’t pet him. 

“I didn’t expect to see you again,” she said in her soft, melodic voice. “Not so soon, anyway.”

Nasir was about to question her about that odd comment, but Sybil stood abruptly and asked if she could pop in a DVD while they ate dinner. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Agron sat between Nasir and Sybil on the couch while they all watched some very violent and gory television show he didn’t recognize. He tried to pay attention to it, but even as many nearly naked men as the show possessed, it could not curb his curiosity about Duro. If anyone knew the status of his brother, it was the woman charged with tending his wounds.

He pressed himself into Sybil’s side to get her attention and projected his thoughts into her head. 

_Is Duro well? One stroke for yes, two for no._

Though she knew the Were-hunter world intimately, being mated to an Arcadian lion, Sybil was human and unable to wield magic or respond to him verbally. 

She stroked him once on the top of his head. 

_Does the woman know about… us?_ He didn’t think Nasir’s friend had any knowledge of his people, but one could never be too sure. 

Sybil sat her empty plate on the coffee table and then casually stroked him twice. 

Curiosity temporarily satisfied, Agron returned to the center couch cushion, but a small fissure of power rippled through the air. His head came up and he heard someone outside, he could smell them. 

_Someone’s here,_ he shot quickly to Sybil before running to the door. 

“Oh!” She jumped up and opened the door for him without any further prompting. 

Agron ran to intercept the newcomer, a Katagaria jackal, before he came any closer to the house. It was someone he recognized from Sanctuary. In human form, the man was covered in blood and could barely stand. 

Agron flashed from his wolf form to speak to the jackal. “Ashur! What are –”

“Your wolves attacked Sanctuary. Duro is dead.”


	9. Taken

_Chadara’s front lawn, New Orleans, Louisiana_

“Your wolves attacked Sanctuary. Duro is dead.”

Agron felt the world shift beneath his feet and he suddenly found himself on his hands and knees. Duro was dead? How could he have been so selfish, thinking only of himself and his mate, sparing no thought to his brother? The only living family he had who loved, protected, and claimed him as such?

Guilt and agony invaded every cell in his body until he thought he might throw up. “How?”

Ashur wiped a blood-soaked arm across his forehead. “The Howlers had just started their second set when a pack of Arcadian wolves came in. They said they had burdened females back at camp and asked to speak to Oenomaus, that’s how they got upstairs.”

“Why – why didn’t someone get me? Call for me?” Agron struggled to keep his voice level and not scream his anguish into the face of the jackal. 

“It happened so fast, it was all we could do to protect ourselves. A few of the bear clan died, as well. Many more are wounded.”

At the word _wounded_ , Agron looked up sharply as a thought struck him. Ashur looked like he was barely conscious, leaning against a tree, covered in blood. He was a Katagaria – in human form. Only the strongest of their kind could maintain their alternate form while wounded. Agron doubted even he could remain in wolf form for very long given the same injuries, and _he_ was a powerful Aristos. 

This could only mean that Ashur, for whatever reason, was faking his wounds. Why was he lying? This sudden clarity helped him think past his grief. 

 

_Chadara’s house, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Sybil shut the door quickly behind her before Chadara or Nasir looked outside and saw Agron flash to human form. 

“He had to go to the bathroom,” she said quickly, moving back to sit on the couch with Nasir. As she reached for her beer, Chadara let out an audible gasp.

“She has one too! Nasir, look at her hand. It looks like yours.”

Sybil made a quick grab for her gloves, which she had taken off to eat the pizza, but Nasir caught her hand in a gentle, yet firm, grip. Chadara was partially right, the mark on Sybil’s palm resembled Nasir’s a great deal, but the pattern was different and where Nasir’s was black, Sybil’s was a vibrant blue. 

“What is this?” Nasir demanded, tracing what appeared to be a stylized blue lion’s mane in her palm. “What does it mean?” 

Sybil stared at him curiously before taking his hand in hers and examining his mark. “How long ago did this appear?”

“Uh, couple days. What does it mean?” he repeated. 

Again, she ignored him. “Right after you met someone and…” her voice trailed off suggestively. 

“Had sex,” Chadara inserted helpfully. 

“ _Yes_. Now, for the last time –”

“It is not my place to say.” Sybil gazed at him, her soft brown eyes filled with compassion. “But I will tell you, that the person who bears a mark matching this one would sooner hurl themselves into an erupting volcano than cause you harm.”

Nasir looked at the mark and felt his eyes burn. “They come in pairs? Do you have a… person with a matching mark?”

A glorious smile lit her features. “I do. He is my heart, the other half of my soul. Where is the one wearing your mark?”

“It’s not _my_ mark,” Nasir said indignantly. “He told me as much. He said he was the reason it’s there.”

“It is as much your mark as it is his. I see pieces of you in it as well. Do you know where he is?” For a moment, her eyes seemed to flicker to the closed front door. 

“No. I sent him away.” Nasir dipped his head. He felt unendurable shame, but didn’t know why. 

 

_Chadara’s front lawn, New Orleans, Louisiana_

“Why were _you_ sent to me?” Agron demanded suspiciously, getting to his feet. Sure, he knew the jackal in passing, but they hadn’t exactly been overly friendly during the short time he’d worked the bar at Sanctuary. 

An irritated scowl flitted across Ashur’s features. “I’m not good enough for you?”

“Whose blood is that? It can’t be your own. You’d be a jackal right now.”

For the space of several heartbeats, Ashur stared at him as though sizing him up. Then he dropped the wounded act altogether. He stood upright and brought a finger to his lips, sucking the blood off with relish. 

“This? This was nobody. Filthy Arcadian scum with no pack – like you. An omega. Helped sell the ambush idea, didn’t it? Your kind are so _human_ ,” he sneered the word like it was the most disgusting thing he could imagine. “So susceptible to human vice and corruption, you don’t deserve to exist in our world. Katagaria have to stick together.”

Agron’s head reeled. He’d stupidly believed that all the Were-hunters that lived in Sanctuary were like Naevia – tolerant and uncaring of the species divides and differences between their people. He wondered if she had any idea of the nest of vipers living under her roof. 

“You’re the one with no pack. What’s to stop me from giving you a good mercy-killing right now?” Agron took a threatening step forward, but Ashur stood his ground.

“Priorities. You don’t have time to deal with little ol’ me when you have two people who mean so much to you, who are both in such grave danger. You Arcadian dogs deserve everything you’re about to receive.”

Before Agron could respond, Ashur teleported away. Clenching his fists at his sides, Agron fought the impulse to chase after him. Instead, he conjured his cell phone and called Sanctuary.

“Naevia? Is everything alright? Is Duro safe?”

“Yes. I just popped into his room and he’s fine. Why?”

“Ashur came to me saying Sanctuary had been attacked by my former pack. He said that Duro was dead.”

“No!” Naevia gasped. “And no offense, Agron, but we have enough fire power that we could handle your pack, no problem. We even called upon Spartacus to shore up our defenses. Duro is much safer than you are at the moment, especially if Ashur knows your location.”

Agron was about to respond when a shrill scream pierced his eardrums. He ended the call and ran back to the house. 

 

_Chadara’s house, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Nasir opened his mouth to ask Sybil more questions about the marks she seemed to know so much about, but a shadow suddenly fell upon him from behind and Chadara screamed. 

Strong arms wrapped around him and lifted him up, pulling him over the back of the couch. One of the arms moved to his neck, effectively cutting off his air supply. Nasir tried to pry the arm away, but whoever was pinning him was inordinately strong and would not be moved.

Sybil, gentle and frail-looking mouse that she was, launched herself at his attacker, but he swatted her away as if she were a butterfly. The last thing Nasir was aware of was the deep growl of his wolf before the world went dark.

Agron crashed into the house just in time to witness Barca, Batiatus’s second in command, vanish with Nasir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make up for the short chapter this week, and also to torture y'all a tiny bit, here is an excerpt from the future... Right now, I see it falling in chapter 11, but that may change as I continue to write and edit. 
> 
>  
> 
> Nasir was first aware of someone holding him. Strong arms surrounded him and gently stroked… bare skin. His eyes sprang open and he tried to move his head to see who held him so tenderly. This person did not feel, did not smell, like Agron. 
> 
> “Shh, my love,” someone – not Agron – whispered close to his ear. “We are together and no one will separate us again.”


	10. Favors

_Westerwald, East of the Rhine_

The darkness passed quickly and the man holding him released him to collapse onto the floor. Nasir quickly regained his footing and spun around to face his kidnapper – then forced himself not to turn and flee. He doubted his legs would move that fast anyway – they felt like jelly. The man was a mountain, by far more feral-looking than Agron even when confronted with Marcus, and he scowled down at Nasir as though personally offended by him somehow. 

“Barca! You’ve returned sooner than expected. Please escort our guest to suitable quarters until I am prepared to receive him. Keep him company until I call for you.”

Nasir squinted into a darkened room to his right, trying to catch a glimpse of the man who’d spoken, but the one called Barca grabbed his upper arm and hauled him quickly and efficiently down a flight of stairs.

“Hey! Gentle, if you don’t mind. I’m obviously going with you. I won’t fight…” And to Nasir’s great surprise, Barca’s grip loosened a fraction. 

“Where am I?” Nasir had no idea how he’d gotten… wherever he was. It looked like the remains of a once grand villa, fallen tragically to ruin. Barca acted like Nasir hadn’t spoken so he tried again. “Why am I here? How did you pull me out of my friend’s house?” 

Predictably, Barca ignored this as well and silently urged him into a windowless room, locking the door, that had fucking bars on it, behind him. Nasir tried, and for the most part, succeeded, in not completely flipping out. He didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, though his heart still felt like it might leap out of his chest. He gripped the thick, prison style bars and tried to see out into the hall. Barca was there, and apparently his understanding of “keep him company” meant to guard the door, as quiet and still as a statue. 

“You couldn’t have put a chair in here, could you?” he called to the sentry outside, not expecting a response. He jumped about a mile into the air when a straight-backed wooden chair appeared in front of him. Maybe he was on acid… yeah, that was it. Drugs were the only explanation for the totally bizarre things happening to him right now. That, or he hit his head and this was all one giant, dream-filled coma. 

It was nearly half an hour before Nasir heard anything but the sound of his own breathing. A phone rang low outside and Barca answered in a hushed whisper. 

“Hey, babe. Yeah, I’m still at the main house. I don’t know when I’ll be able to leave. I miss you too, _so much_ when I’m away.”

Nasir peered out the little barred window at Barca, shocked to see a tender smile on the man’s lips. Who knew the giant lug had an affectionate side?

“No, no don’t do that!” Barely concealed panic crept into Barca’s voice. “What if someone from my pack catches you?” His eyes flickered to Nasir’s to see if he was listening in, and then lowered his voice further. 

“I don’t care what happens to _me_! Do you know what I’d do if something…” He retreated down the hall until Nasir could no longer eavesdrop on his conversation. Barca returned less than a minute later, the impartial glower back on his face. 

Even though he didn’t really expect an answer, Nasir asked, “Who was that?” 

“My mother,” Barca said evenly. 

He couldn’t help but snort at the deadpan response. Nasir didn’t know the man, but he thought he detected a hint of sarcasm in his tone. “You always talk to your mother with that mouth?” He hadn’t heard anything lascivious in their conversation, however, he knew instinctively that Barca had been talking to his lover. There had been something in his tone of voice. “Why do you have to keep it a secret?”

Barca looked, really looked, at him for the first time. “In your world, you meet someone, fall in love, and live happily ever after, right? It doesn’t work that way here. You don’t get to pick your mate. Fate chooses for you, and sometimes, fate fucks you over.”

“Your mate?” 

Barca looked down at his bare palms and swallowed hard. “I met someone and fell in love. But we were not blessed by the Fates. Our union would be seen as an abomination. Like yours.”

“What do –”

“No more talking. Our alpha, Batiatus, will answer your questions.”

“No, wait! Please tell me what I’m doing here. What’s going to happen to me?”

A muscle in Barca’s jaw flexed. “The alpha means not to harm you. Unless you do something stupid like try to escape before he’s done… talking to you.”

 

_Chadara’s house, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Agron’s agony was such that he released it in the most primal way he knew: he screamed at the top of his lungs. For a few blessed moments, he even drowned out the sound of Nasir’s friend screaming _her_ head off at his sudden appearance into her home. Though the pain in his heart was infinitely more than the pain in his head caused by her piercing shrill, he could do something about the latter. 

Waving a careless hand at her, he sent her into an immediate slumber. He called upon his Aristos powers to track his mate, but it didn’t work. Batiatus knew what he was doing when he sent Barca in to kidnap Nasir. Barca was the best hunter and tracker in their pack and surpassed all of them in camouflaging his scent. Apparently, he was also cloaking Nasir. 

He fell to his knees as despair overwrought him. He was, without question, the most incompetent wolf swain in existence to allow his mate to be snatched from right under his nose. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sybil struggling to stand and went over to offer aid. 

“What happened?” he demanded of her. 

“I don’t know,” she said, unshed tears brimming in her large eyes. “One second we were talking, and then that… man flashed right behind him like he’d been LoJacked.” Upon seeing Agron’s confused scowl, she tacked on, “It was like he knew where he’d be with unnerving, scary accuracy. I didn’t know any Arcadian or Katagaria could track like that, his exact location down to the foot.”

“Wolves are excellent trackers,” was all he said in response. Truthfully, Agron was only half listening. Most of his concentration was still spent futilly trying to track where Nasir had been taken, but Barca had covered his scent too well. 

He cursed aloud. What use were his Aristos powers if they failed him when he needed them most?

“I need to go.”

“Wait!” Sybil caught his arm before he had a chance to flash out. “Where are you going?”

“Home. Back to my homelands east of the Rhine.” He thought it was pretty safe to assume that his former pack would take Nasir there. At least, he’d have the opportunity to “interrogate” some old friends regarding where his mate was being kept.

“I would advise caution. It is almost certainly a trap.”

Did she think for a second that he didn’t know that? “They have my mate!” he snarled by way of explanation. His own safety meant nothing by comparison.

“Please,” she insisted. “You should not rush into such danger absent your pack to back you.”

Ashur had been right about one thing. “I have no pack. They betrayed me and tried to kill my brother. And me,” he added as an afterthought. 

“I meant Sanctuary. Crixus and Naevia and those loyal to them will stand with you.” 

Agron paused in indecision. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to act – to do something, anything, that would bring him closer to finding Nasir. On the other hand, his logical human side recognized the need to organize and plan before running off half-cocked. 

Seeing he was on the fence, Sybil added, “At the very least, would you mind flashing me to Oenomaus’s office?” She held up her arm to show him a deep, bloody gash with shards of broken glass in it. “I think I’m going to need stitches. If I tell Gannicus that you left me in this condition to drive to Sanctuary by myself, he’ll have your rump for dessert.”

 

_Westerwald, East of the Rhine_

As much as talking helped keep his mind on something other than the fact that he’d just been kidnapped, Nasir knew he wasn’t getting any more information out of Barca. Purposefully avoiding the “magic chair” that had appeared out of thin air, he sat down in a corner of the small room they held him in and stared at his marked palm for the umpteenth time. 

What had Sybil said? That the person with a matching one would sooner jump into a volcano than hurt him? Nasir traced the edge of it, imagining the mark on Agron’s larger hand, wondering if it was even remotely possible. He hated the feeling that he was always on the cusp of receiving information that would suddenly make his world understandable, but it always eluded him. 

Time and distance brought things into perspective. He knew he’d overreacted with Agron, but at the time, all he could think of was someone owning him. Sadly, his past with Marcus and his family had conditioned him to think the worst of people, but Agron had done nothing to earn his distrust. 

Nasir closed his eyes and lay down on the chilled stone floor. He remembered Agron touching him, gently, reverently, worshipfully. His mind replayed the moment when Agron had found the bruises he’d left on his hip. The horror in his expression and in his eyes had been too genuine, too wholehearted, to have been feigned. How could he ever have thought such awful things about a man as kind and gentle as that? He hadn’t known Agron very long, but it felt like a betrayal to accuse him of some of the things he had. 

A single tear escaped down his cheek when he recalled his last glimpse of Agron’s face, just after he’d thrown him out of his motel room. The mere thought of that wounded expression tore him up. 

He hastily wiped away the tear when he heard the lock on the door disengage. 

Barca filled the doorway. “The alpha has summoned you.”

 

_New Orleans, Louisiana_

Ashur walked briskly down the street to his tiny studio apartment when his cell phone rang. He smiled when he saw who it was. 

“Yes,” he said, before the wolf could speak. “It is done. They’ve taken him to the Westerwald. You should have seen the look on that dog’s face when I told him his brother was dead.”

“I need more specifics on where he’s being held, fast. What if they kill him before I get there?”

“They won’t,” Ashur said with certainty. “Batiatus wants Agron to suffer. It is more torturous to think of what might be happening to his mate than to know he died quickly.”

The wolf growled at the word “mate” and Ashur suppressed a laugh. 

“You’d better be right. And they suspected nothing from you? How did you get them to believe a jackal could be trusted?”

“You know Arcadians. They believe they can make horses crap rainbows if they throw enough money at it. So very human. What do animals need with money?”

“Not a goddam thing,” the wolf agreed. “I’m still waiting on Nasir’s location from you. When he is returned to me, then we can discuss the price for your services. A favor for a favor, jackal.”


	11. Answers

_Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana _

“Thank you, Agron,” Sibyl said after he’d teleported them to Oenomaus’ office in Sanctuary. 

He’d been about to vanish to begin his search for Nasir, but a voice he hadn’t heard in weeks called out his name. Agron turned to see his brother leaning against the doorframe. 

“Duro!” Rushing over, Agron caught him in a crushing embrace, one his little brother protested and fought against at once. 

“Get off me! I’m glad to see you too, but I’ll kick your ass if you break any ribs. Especially since they just put me back together again. Don’t fuck up their fine work.”

“Asshole,” Agron retorted affectionately. Nothing except seeing his brother alive and well could have made him smile at a time like this. “When did you wake up?”

“Oenomaus brought me out of the coma a few hours ago. I still feel like I was run over by a bus, but at least my body is mostly healed.”

“I’m so glad,” Agron said, resisting the urge to hug him again to make sure this wasn’t a dream. “I wish I could stay, but I have to go –”

Duro’s eyes widened as he caught sight of his mating mark. “You’ve been _busy_ while I was out of commission! And now you’re off to chase tail with her, am I right? I gotta tell you, I never thought you’d be, you know... You’ve never shown any interest in the past –”

Agron cut Duro off mid-rant. “It’s a long story and Naevia can tell you most of it, but I have to go. My mate is in danger. Fucking Barca kidnapped him and I have to get him back.”

Duro didn’t bat an eye at the revelation that his mate was male. “Barca?! I’m going to kill that bastard. He has no fucking mind of his own, just Batiatus’ man through and through, does whatever that prick says.”

He couldn’t argue with that. “I know. I want you to stay here and rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Duro caught his arm before he could flash out. “Not a snowball’s chance in Hades! I’m coming with you to back you up!”

Growling, Agron shrugged off Duro’s grip. “I’ve already wasted enough time and I still don’t know which camp they’re in, if any. You can’t stand upright without leaning on something.” 

Stubbornly, to prove his big brother wrong, Duro grimaced and pushed himself off the wall. “I’m fine.”

“I’m going without you and you will stay here and finish healing.”

“Get used to disappointment, butt-munch. I’m not letting you take on Barca and Batiatus and everyone all by yourself.”

 

_Westerwald, East of the Rhine_

“Why am I here?” Nasir demanded as soon as Barca shoved him, none too gently, into an office obviously intended to intimidate. Batiatus – the alpha, whatever that meant – sat behind an enormous desk. He didn’t look up as Nasir entered, but continued to read and scowl at whatever was on the papers in front of him. The man was neither old nor young, neither ugly nor particularly attractive. 

A line from one of Nasir’s favorite television shows M*A*S*H popped into his head. Hawkeye, dressed as an old-school English detective with an exaggerated British accent addressed a gathering in the mess hall, “I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you all here tonight. Years ago, each of you did something terrible to me.” The thought made him work to keep a totally inappropriate smile off his face. 

When he finally raised his eyes from the papers in front of him, Batiatus said, with all apparent sincerity, “Nasir, I can’t tell you how relieved I am that Barca got to you in time. I understand it was nearly too late. You owe him a debt for saving your life.”

“Saving my – What? Huh?” Whatever Nasir had expected, that had certainly not been it. 

“He saved you from Agron,” Batiatus said in a slow, deliberate voice. “He is a great danger to Were-Hunter and human society alike, I’m afraid. We’ve been trying to track and recapture him for several weeks now.”

So many questions buzzed around in his head, _Who are you people?_ and _What are Were-Hunters?_ being the most prevailing. Nasir opened his mouth to ask them, but instead he said, “Recapture? Why?”

“Because, my dear boy,” Batiatus said in a mildly patronizing tone. “Agron is a fugitive. He escaped before justice could be served to the families of his poor victims. Thank the gods we were able to get to you before you wound up like they did.”

Nasir scowled and covered his face with his hands. “I’m hallucinating. I want to go home.” He was half tempted to tap his heels together three times and say in a firm voice, “There’s no place like home,” but something told him that wouldn’t work. 

“Gods, he’s told you nothing, hasn’t he?”

Nasir bit his tongue to keep from the outlandish urge he had to speak up in Agron’s defense, but of course, Batiatus was right. 

Leaning back in his chair – there were none in front of the desk, so Nasir was left standing – Batiatus brought his hands together and rested his chin on his fingertips. “How much do you know of our world?”

“Nothing. Just that Agron is responsible for this,” he held up his marked hand, “And that they come in pairs.”

“Yes.” Batiatus looked down at his own hand sadly, then showed it to Nasir. His was a shade of dark blue. “This is a mating mark for my people. It appears when you meet the one the Fates bound you to for the rest of your natural life. Oh, not to worry, son!” He said quickly, seeing the flash of alarm in Nasir’s eyes. “You have not completed the mating ritual. After three weeks, the mark will fade and you won’t have to deal with any of this nonsense again. We will protect you.”

Even though it was the one question he most desired to know the answer to, it was also the one he most dreaded asking. “Who are you people? _What_ are you?”

Batiatus stood, walked around to Nasir’s side of the desk, and held his arms out. “I have a human heart, yet I also have the ability to transform myself into a wolf.” 

Nasir jumped and backed away several paces as the man vanished and a large white wolf, which bore a striking resemblance to the wolf that had followed him home the other night, appeared instantly where he’d been standing. The man reappeared a few seconds later. 

“That is the secret that Agron has kept from you. We are a branch of Were-hunters known as Arcadians. He does not wish for you to know what he is in order to keep you under his control.”

“No! He doesn’t… He isn’t like that…”

Batiatus continued ruthlessly. “Our kind can wield magic, even get inside your head. He can make you do whatever he wants. This is what he did to the others – the reason why we are trying to apprehend him. He seduces young, gullible men and destroys them. I don’t know how he managed to give you a mating mark, however.” He picked up Nasir’s hand and looked at it curiously. “It is very strange, unnatural, for you to have one.”

“Why?” Nasir asked vehemently, snatching his hand away, not liking the way Batiatus looked at him nor the things he said about Agron. “Because I’m a _normal,_ average human?”

“Because you’re a man!” An all too familiar edge of madness crept into his voice. Nasir detected it immediately due to his experiences with Marcus. “I don’t care what you gays do together, but it is wrong for two males to be mated to one another. It isn’t for the greater good of our species! It’s bad enough when we mate to Katagaria or non-hunters. I won’t have it in _my_ pack!”

“Is that why you’re going after Agron?” Nasir asked carefully, not wanting the man to blow up at him, but needing to ask. “To eradicate him from your pack because he’s gay?” Because it couldn’t be due to Agron’s so-called atrocities. His Agron wouldn’t do that. “Is that how his brother was hurt?”

His questions must have struck the wrong chord in Batiatus, because the color of his face deepened to an ugly puce. Nasir could see this was the moment when he dropped the whole “protecting him” façade altogether. 

“My family,” he began in a voice quivering in rage. “My family have been blessed by the gods. For over a hundred years, my father’s line has produced great Aristi. Were-hunters with the powers of a god,” he explained before Nasir could ask. “Power as you can’t imagine gave us the right to lead the pack for generations. To be born without this gift… My idiot brother never even wanted to be alpha, but our father was going to give him _my_ birthright!”

Nasir had a bad feeling about where this rant was going. Batiatus didn’t even seem to be aware of his presence in the room anymore. It was as though he was confronting ghosts from his past. 

“I showed our father that I was fit to lead. But then my _brother_ ,” he spat, incapable of speaking the man’s name, “had to one-up me yet again. His mate gave him two strapping sons to carry on his legacy – Aristi, both – while my Lucretia dies in childbirth before bringing my heir into the world.”

The injustice his memories unleashed moved him to pace restlessly around his office until he finally came to a halt before Nasir. 

“Why should my nephew,” he said the word as though it were repulsive to him, “be given a mate? A man? When he has stolen all from me?”

Nasir retreated instinctively as Batiatus took a step forward. “Wait! I don’t understand your anger at Agron. None of this sounds like his fault.”

“My brother and his spawn stole my father’s love and are responsible for ending my line!” he shouted in Nasir’s face. “My heir is dead due to shear incompetence and idiocy of the ones that should have been able to save her!”

Nasir kept the scowl from showing on his face. He still didn’t comprehend exactly what Agron and his father had done to Batiatus to warrant such resentfulness. What was obvious, however, was the man’s break with reality. He could see it in those wild, angry eyes and in the curl of his lip when his gaze fell upon him. 

_Don’t react to my voice… Give Batiatus no indication that you can hear me._

Despite the voice in his head telling him not to react, Nasir jumped and looked around because he was hearing goddam voices in his head! 

_Stop it! Calm down or I won’t be able to help you._

Nasir brought a hand up to wipe sweat from his forehead and saw it shaking uncontrollably. He was totally losing his mind. Batiatus paced in a circle around his desk, clutching handfuls of his hair when the unfamiliar voice returned. 

_Our kind are vulnerable when electrocuted – we cannot hold on to our base form. There’s a Taser on the wall behind Batiatus’ desk, it looks like a long staff. Get to it and use it on him._

In spite of himself, Nasir shook his head. There was no way he’d be able to get past Batiatus and reach the Taser without being spotted. 

_Look,_ the voice said kindly. _I’m not allowed in that house. You don’t know me, but you can trust me. We’re kind of in the same boat, you and I. If you can get away and make it to the woods just beyond the east gate, I can help you get home to your Agron._

That idea was so appealing that Nasir moved forward several paces without conscious thought. Then he stopped when Batiatus met his gaze once again. 

“You know, Barca retrieved you sooner than I’d expected. I hadn’t fully decided whether or not I was going to use you as bait to catch Agron or if I wanted to let him find your body and have him come to us seeking revenge.”

“Revenge for what?” Nasir knew full well, but he’d just sided with the voice in his head. He would keep the alpha talking and somehow find a way to reach the Taser before getting caught. He’d already started to circle the large desk, keeping Batiatus in his sights, hoping to wind up in just the right place when the time came to make his move. 

“You’re an abomination,” Batiatus whispered. “Unfit and unworthy to bear that mark. I’d be doing my people a great service by disposing of you. It would have to be bloody, you see, to get the reaction out of Agron that I’m aiming for. But you’d be dead first. It’s kinder than whatever you could expect out of a Katagaria.”

“What’s a Katagaria?” Nasir asked, forgetting the word as soon as he uttered it. All his attention was zeroed in on discretely reaching that staff. Just a few more feet… 

Batiatus ignored his question. “It’s not how I saw this going, but you won’t be aware of what’s happening to you. It would give me such pleasure to take from Agron what was taken from me. Of course, you’ll never be an adequate substitution for my Lucretia, but he might mourn you… briefly.” He manifested a syringe out of thin air.

Nasir used its appearance as an opportunity to jump backwards several feet, pressing himself against the wall. He spread his arms wide, fingers frantically searching for the Taser. Batiatus slowly advanced on him as he gripped the staff and held it in front of him as though it were a shield. Clearly unintimidated by him and his weapon, Batiatus continued onwards, needle poised threateningly. 

“Why can’t you just let me go? And leave Agron alone?”

Enraged by the question, Batiatus growled at him like… well, like a wolf. “I won’t allow a fag to follow me as alpha of this pack. As long as he’s out there free, he’ll be able to challenge me for leadership. He’s the only one with that right. He’s worthless, just like his father. He can’t even mate to a female and produce heirs. What in Hades’ name could you possibly offer him? You’re both a detriment to us and our way of life. The good of the many must outweigh the selfishness of one wolf.” 

_He’s insane,_ the voice in his head advised needlessly. _You have to do it now. Taser him now!_

Batiatus lunged at Nasir the moment he thrust the forked end of the staff into the alpha’s chest. It buzzed to life at once and the man crumpled to the ground, every few seconds he would flash from man to a wolf, and back again. 

The Taser must have punctured Batiatus’ chest, because blood pooled around him on the floor. Nasir found he wasn’t remorseful and didn’t move to stop the gushing wound. This man, this wolf, had tried to kill him. Worse, he’d planned to kill Agron. While Nasir might have destroyed whatever they’d had between them, he couldn’t let Agron’s own uncle hunt him down so heartlessly. 

_Great! There’s supposed to be a hidden staircase near his office that leads right to the gate. You only have a few minutes and you’ll have to be quiet, but my man on the inside assured me that no one will be around to stop you…_

Nasir tried to obey the voice in his head, but it kept getting fainter and fainter until it died out completely. His vision clouded as numbness spread throughout his entire body. Reaching up to touch the point of origin, he felt the syringe sticking out of his arm. He tried to tug it out but his legs collapsed beneath him and blackness took him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So very sorry it took me so long to update! Real life got icky and interrupted my muse for a while. I hope to make it up to the readers by posting the next chapter this weekend so you won't have to wait a whole extra week. I adore writing and hearing feedback for this story, and will most definitely finish :)


	12. Understanding

_Westerwald, East of the Rhine_

Pietros picked nervously at the bark of a tree as he waited for something to happen. It had been too long. The human should have met him by now. If only he could assume his other form, that of a hawk, even for a few short minutes. He felt trapped by the woods, small and insignificant. Only flying gave him that feeling of being connected to the entire universe, not a tiny grain of sand in the ocean, but a vital cog, living and breathing with the earth. 

Well, flying and spending any amount of time he could manage in his boyfriend’s arms. They never had very long together, but he’d rather have him once every few days for a measly hour than not at all. 

If he were anywhere else, he’d give into the temptation to spread his wings. But to do so on the edge of a wolf den was suicide if anyone were to spot him. Arcadian hawks were larger than natural hawks and any sentry worth his salt would be able to see the difference at a single glance. 

Agitated, he shot out another quick text to Barca on his cell phone before attempting to speak with him telepathically. Receiving no response was little surprise, but it ratcheted up his anxiety level another notch. Then he felt a small fissure of power ripple through the air that signaled a Were-hunter had teleported nearby. 

His heart stopped beating at the thought of one of Barca’s pack members discovering him loitering around their camp. Despite the danger he risked being caught, he was about to take to the skies when a heavy gray wolf tackled him from behind. A white wolf was on his tail and transformed into a man. 

“Stop it!” the man whispered angrily to the wolf, who was panting heavily on his cheek. 

Pietros clenched his eyes shut and prayed for a speedy death – he was no match for two wolves. But the next thing he knew, he was being lifted to his feet again. 

“You don’t belong here, hawk.”

Daring to glance at the men who had caught him, Pietros received a shock. “You’re Agron!” He looked at the slightly shorter one who had just flashed into human form. “And Barca didn’t mention you.”

The taller of the two men scowled down at him. “Do I know you?”

“No,” Pietros replied, visibly relieved. “I’m trying to help Nasir! He was supposed to meet me here but it’s been so long that I’m worried something went wrong.”

Agron caught Duro with an arm across his chest before his impulsive brother rushed the boy again. “Nasir is here?” he demanded. 

“Agron, no. I don’t trust him. What would a hawk care of wolf business?”

“My name is Pietros and I understand what you and the human are going through. No, I haven’t found my mate,” he said when Agron lifted and inspected his bare palm. “But I have found the man I wish to spend the rest of my life with. It’s… complicated.”

“But Nasir… he’s here?”

The boy nodded. “Has been for nearly two hours.”

“Two hours?” Duro looked at him in disbelief. “What the hell have you been doing for _two hours_ while your mate was here, enjoying Batiatus’ fine company? We left Sanctuary to search not twenty minutes ago.”

Pietros spoke up helpfully. “Barca took him back a ways in time, hoping you would not know where, or when, to look for him.”

Agron’s vision darkened. “Time travel is not something we fuck around with. Even the most practiced and skilled of our kind rarely do it.” There were strict rules, enforced by Spartacus, that no one was to interfere with destiny. “What if he’d screwed up? Jumped too far into the past and gotten stuck in the Middle Ages or something?” He was fishing, he knew, but the thought of Nasir being thrown into the deep end of his world pissed him off. He tried not to think of how scared his mate had to be right now. 

“It was only a few hours back,” Pietros said defensively. “Nasir probably never even suspected. Barca knows what he’s doing. He wouldn’t have let your human get hurt. He’s helping me rescue him.”

“Then _where is he?!_ Where are either of them? If anything’s happened to Nasir –”

A low growl interrupted him. Agron turned to see a soot-black wolf stalking towards them, teeth barred. Pietros ran to it and the wolf turned instantly human and shoved the slighter man behind him as though using his own body as a shield. 

“Fucking hell,” Duro said with a snort. “I thought you were screwed up, Agron, mated to a human male. I don’t even want to think about the kind of kinky shit a hawk and a wolf get up to.”

Agron cuffed his brother on the back of the head. “Don’t open your mouth to spout off until you’re up to fighting strength once again. He can put you into a coma just as easily as Oenomaus can, but he won’t use drugs to do it.”

Duro lapsed into silence, but his eyes were still trained on Barca and Pietros, humor in their depths. 

“If I have to ask one more time –” Agron began.

“Nasir is gone,” Barca said, his voice grim. “He killed Batiatus and was supposed to escape into the woods where Pietros would return him to Sanctuary. I’ve searched the whole house and he’s not there.”

“What? Wait… He _killed_ Batiatus? How? And where the fuck were you?” he asked, accusation heavy in his tone. Agron knew now that Barca was technically on his side, but that didn’t mean he had to like the wolf any better. 

“I was making sure his path was clear, you half-wit dog. Couldn’t have your human running headlong into half the pack on his way out the door, could we? And as to how he killed the alpha… It looks like Nasir managed to pierce his heart with an electrified staff. Batiatus might have been able to survive being either electrocuted or stabbed, but the old wolf’s heart couldn’t take both.”

Agron cursed and raked a hand through his dreadlocks. Where the hell was he supposed to look now? “I need to get in there. Whoever took him must have left a trail or scent…” He trailed off hopefully, but Barca shook his head. 

“I… wish I had better news.”

He was shocked to his core to hear genuine sincerity in Barca’s voice. His animal half did not detect the slightest hint of deception. “Why are you being so helpful? Not that I don’t appreciate the effort to rescue him –”

“Even though you were the one to kidnap him in the first place,” Duro inserted. 

“Not helping,” Agron spat at his brother, seriously regretting caving into Duro’s demands to accompany him on his search for Nasir when he should be resting in bed. 

Barca’s jaw clenched and his eyes flickered briefly to the man currently clutching his forearm and resting his head against his bicep. He cleared his throat. “Because, wolf, it was only a matter of time before you defeated Batiatus and maybe I wanted to be on your good side once you became alpha. I have a feeling you’d be more tolerant than your uncle, even though you still chafe my ass.”

Agron laughed. “I don’t know if I will become alpha. _I_ did not defeat Batiatus. But I will stand by you, brother.” Duro scoffed as he and Barca clasped forearms in salutation. 

“True,” Barca said in a joking tone Agron hadn’t known the man to be capable of. “I do not know if you have the right to step up as alpha anymore, as I wholeheartedly doubt your ability to defeat the one who stole the legacy from you. I believe that little man could have you on your knees as easy as flipping a light switch.”


	13. Clutches

_Unknown_

Nasir was first aware of someone holding him. Strong arms surrounded him and gently stroked… bare skin. His eyes sprang open and he tried to move his head to see who held him so tenderly. This person did not feel, did not smell, like Agron. 

“Shh, my love,” someone – not Agron – whispered close to his ear. “We are together, and no one will separate us again.”

Nasir jerked away, but the man held him fast. “You need to stay still or you’ll hurt yourself.”

“What did you give me?” Nasir demanded, his words slurring together. His mind felt slow and groggy, his limbs like anvils. Instinctively, he knew he’d been given some drug. 

“Nothing, my sweet. There was a needle in your arm when I rescued you from that pack of dirty Arcadian wolves. I will return you to full health.” 

Against his volition, tears welled in Nasir’s eyes as his mind finally recognized the voice of the man who held him. He remembered Batiatus, watching him bleed out onto the floor while flashing between man and wolf, realizing that the alpha must have stuck him with the syringe after all. He felt sleepy and weak and hated that Marcus was seeing him this vulnerable. “I need to go home.”

“You _are_ home, love,” Marcus said in a soothing voice. “You’re safe here.”

“No, I need to go _home_.” Nasir’s blurry gaze fixed on the mark on his palm as he said it, and he knew that the only true home he’d ever known was in Agron’s arms. He’d been a fool to push him away. 

Marcus fisted a handful of Nasir’s hair. “I said _this_ is your home. In time, I’ll make you see that this is the only place you’ve ever belonged.” His touch gentled once again and he pressed a kiss to Nasir’s temple. “I’m the only one who can love something as broken as you.”

With great effort, Nasir lifted his heavy eyes and tried to examine his surroundings. The walls were bare and the only illumination came, not from windows, but from a single light bulb that hung from the ceiling. “Where am I?”

“My house. You’ve been here a hundred times.”

“I don’t recognize this room,” Nasir denied. 

“I set it up specially for you. You’ll be comfortable here. And I know you’ll stay…safe.”

“I want to go home.” He made another valiant effort to stand, but as soon as he extracted himself from Marcus’s hold, something tripped him and he lay sprawled on cold concrete. Nasir looked down his naked body at his legs and choked on a sob. A shackle encircled his ankle and a length of chain secured him to the bed Marcus sat on. 

“You ripped out my heart when you left.” Marcus’s voice lowered dangerously. “You didn’t think I was going to let you wonder about freely, did you? You have a long way to go before you earn back my trust. Eventually, you’ll be allowed upstairs again. Under loving supervision, of course. After that… we’ll see.”

Nasir’s stomach heaved and if he’d had anything to eat the previous day, it would be on the floor right now. 

 

_Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Agron sat at the bar and stared into his mug of beer while the voices of Sanctuary’s inhabitants hummed like a swarm of bees all around him. He wouldn’t be here at all but for Duro insisting that the logical part of his brain was no longer functional, and that the best thing they could do was talk things out with the people and animals under Naevia’s care. 

“The wolves are obviously lying,” one of the bears said. “No offense to you, Duro, but Arcadian wolves aren’t exactly known for –”

“Nasir _can’t_ be there,” another denied. “The trail is faint, but he’s somewhere in New Orleans. Oenomaus is sure of it –”

“I trust Pietros. If he says the wolves don’t have the human, then he’s not with them. Agron must have pissed off someone else –”

“Ashur knew of –”

“Gannicus and I already checked his hovel. The jackal hates Arcadians, but we scoured his place and even beat him up a little to make sure –”

“Aw, man! Couldn’t have called me for that, huh? He helped kidnap my brother’s mate, I wanted a chance at –”

“ _Who_ are we forgetting? Maybe it’s not someone any of us know. There are Were-hunters out there who prefer to be left alone –”

“Awful big coincidence, isn’t it? For Nasir to be kidnapped once to be used against Agron, and then right as he’s about to be rescued, he gets kidnapped _again_ by a random dude we don’t know and who has no grudges against us?”

“I didn’t say they didn’t have –”

“Spartacus would know where he is.”

The entire inhabitants of the bar quieted immediately at Agron’s soft assertion. Naevia approached him tentatively. 

“You know how Spartacus is, Agron. His purpose is to enforce our laws, but he’s never taken kindly to anyone barging into his domain and demanding answers of him.”

Agron snorted into his cup. This wasn’t a suggestion he made lightly. Their people tread lightly around Spartacus, a being of untold powers and untested patience. “I’m not asking any of you to come with me. In fact, I’d rather go alone. But I need to find him. I need to know Nasir is safe.” 

“Then we will go,” Duro said at once, his loyalty and trust in his brother never wavering.

Sighing in resignation, Agron said, “I have a feeling I could not keep you from coming short of beating your ass.”

Duro smirked arrogantly at him. “Like you could, old man.”

“Fine, sonny boy. Let’s go.”

“Agron!” Turning at the voice, he was shocked to see Crixus stride forward. The bear had remained silent throughout the tumultuous debate. He laid a hand on Naevia’s waist and pulled her gently against his side. “We are _all_ coming with you.”

Gannicus bounded to his side, an exuberant grin on his face. “I can’t believe you thought you’d be able to do something this suicidal without your pack to back you. Wolf, you are one special kind of stupid.”

 

_Marcus’ basement, New Orleans, Louisiana_

“Marcus, take this fucking shackle off me. I’m leaving.”

Anger flashed in Marcus’ eyes. “You still don’t get it, do you? You belong to me, and I’m not sharing you again.”

Tired and frustrated, Nasir grabbed the chain connecting him to the bed and gave it a hard tug. Unsurprisingly, this accomplished nothing. “You’re fucking insane. I belong to myself, no one else.”

Marcus laughed, not in a nice way. “Wrong, little man. I let you out of my sights for less than a day and you up and got yourself claimed by another man. I saved you from him.” He reached out and grasped Nasir’s wrist to look at his marked palm. “I knew you were a slave to cock, but I’d hoped you had some standards. Such a shame. But now I know my mistake. I didn’t give you what you needed. That’s why you were unfaithful.”

Maybe the revelation that Marcus knew what the mating mark meant should have shocked him – was _he_ one of them too? – but getting away from the crazy son of a bitch was the only thing on his mind. “I was never unfaithful when we were together. You’ve had no claim on me since I _dumped_ your ass.”

Marcus continued as though Nasir hadn’t spoken. “You need discipline and structure. Your disobedience is a cry for a strong master to guide you. I love you, Nasir, and I will give you this.”

Nasir roared in fury and chucked the first thing he could reach at Marcus, unfortunately, it was a pillow. He renewed his efforts to break the chain, but Marcus just laughed. 

“I love your feistiness and your spirit. And as hot as you are when you pretend to fight me, we’ll need to continue this discussion later.” He moved to a large wooden cabinet and rifled through its contents. “Now, you know my house is far enough away that no neighbors would hear you scream, but if I have to listen to you shout yourself hoarse, I’m going to pull out your fucking teeth with my pliers.” 

When Nasir saw Marcus approach with a wicked-looking spider gag, he clamped his jaw closed and kicked out with his legs. But Marcus bulldozed him, landing heavily on his chest. 

“Open your mouth.”

Nasir shook his head and glared his hatred. 

Marcus tutted him. “It won’t be for long, just until I finish some business and then I’m all yours again and I’ll take it off.” Still, Nasir kept his mouth firmly closed. Sighing, Marcus said harshly, “I actually wouldn’t mind pulling some teeth. It would finally transform your mouth into something practical – the perfect hole to slide my cock into whenever the urge strikes me. I can tell how much you love the thought of being an even better glory hole,” he added dryly. “If that’s what you aspire to, then by all means, keep your mouth shut.”

Hot tears streaked down Nasir’s face. Knowing he had no choice, he opened his mouth to say, “You’re a goddamn animal.”

Marcus took the opportunity to pry his jaw open and fit him with the gag. “I take pride in my Katagaria heritage. ‘Animal’ is a compliment.” After that, tying his hands behind his back was easy. Nasir glared up at him. He’d truly never hated anyone more, not even his prick of a step-brother or his step-father who turned his back on all the abuse. Marcus only made it worse by smiling down at him, self-satisfaction evident on his face. 

“Don’t you make a pretty sight?” Marcus ran his hand down his torso to rub the growing bulge in his jeans. Nasir followed the gesture, horror replacing hatred in his eyes. Surely Marcus didn’t mean to… 

“I know what you’re thinking, love.” Marcus traced along his spread lips and slipped a single finger into his mouth. “I’ll be making use of this soon, after I complete my business upstairs. And of course, discipline must come before pleasure. You’ve earned quite the punishment these past few days.” He smacked Nasir’s cheek hard enough to leave behind a handprint, then leaned down to kiss the reddened skin. 

When Marcus turned and ascended the stairs, Nasir felt a loosening in his chest cavity. He’d been so sure that Marcus would rape his mouth that he didn’t realize how much his body had panicked and rebelled at the thought. Escape first and foremost on his mind, he knew that he’d have to free his arms before anything. He would dislocate his shoulder in a heartbeat if he thought it would do any good. But all that would accomplish would be agonizing pain, which he’d have to suffer though quietly as he attempted to break free of the cuff surrounding his ankle. 

Oh, how wonderful it would be to have the powers of a Were-hunter, if for nothing else, then for the ability to speak in another’s head. If he had the ability, he’d reach out to Agron, beg his forgiveness, and pray that he’d rescue him from the biggest mistake of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And let the Marcus-bashing begin...


	14. Truly

_Marcus’ basement, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Marcus returned a while later after Nasir had exhausted himself trying to break free of the restraints tying his arms behind his back. 

“Hello, my love. How do you feel? Are the drugs out of your system yet?”

Nasir remained silent. He still had the spider gag in his mouth and refused to humiliate himself further by grunting and attempting to speak around it. 

Marcus dipped two fingers into his obscenely spread mouth before unbuckling the gag. “Well? Speak to me, little man. Are the drugs out of your system?”

“I’m not a dog,” Nasir said, his voice hoarse from disuse. “Never command me to speak.”

Grinning manically, Marcus sneered, “I will command you to _scream_.”

Nasir held his gaze defiantly for several beats, then all at once, he let the tension leave his body. He sank into the mattress and let pain flare in his eyes. “Marcus, the cords are cutting off my circulation.” He spoke softly and in the most submissive voice he could summon. “I need you to rub life back into my arms. My mind is still a little fuzzy, I guess. Please, Mark, it hurts.” He made a show of stifling a pained wince. 

“Of course, my love.” Marcus rolled him onto his stomach and unbound his arms, stroking them briskly to return the flow of blood. “Isn’t it better when you come to me with your needs? I can give you anything.”

“Yes,” Nasir whispered, flopping onto his back and reaching up to cradle his sore jaw with his unmarked hand. “You know I hate to be bound.”

Marcus sat next to him on the bed and placed a palm on Nasir’s bare chest between his nipples. “I’m sorry, my love. Do you have any memories of waking up here earlier? You had some drug in your system. You were disoriented and groggy. I was afraid of you hurting yourself if you weren’t restrained.”

“So you did it…to protect me?” Nasir asked, jumping on Marcus’ suggestion that it had been Batiatus’ drugs that had made him so un-agreeable earlier. “Thank you.” He dropped his gaze out of fear that Marcus would read his disgust. 

“Yes!” Marcus sounded relieved at his understanding. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. But you make it so hard sometimes.”

“I’m sorry. I know I can be stubborn.” Nasir tried to look sheepish. 

“Very hard to reason with,” Marcus agreed with a half-smile. 

Nasir wanted to push his luck while Marcus was being so amenable, to ask for clothes or for the shackle around his ankle to be removed, but curiosity trumped his modesty. “How did you find me?” He asked, injecting a note of awe in his tone. 

“It wasn’t easy. First, I had to get you away from that filthy Arcadian dog who marked you.” His eyes began to harden and Nasir spoke up hastily. 

“Thank god you did! That was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life. I tried to get rid of him, but I had this feeling like he was following me. He – he scared me.”

Marcus’ expression cleared. “Yes. His kind have never had a good reputation. Greedy, obsessed with money and power. They care nothing for love.” He tucked some hair behind Nasir’s ear. “Katagaria are loyal.”

Nasir suppressed a shudder. “You got me away from Agron. That means you were working with the alpha?” 

“Never! A Katagaria acquaintance of mine helped.” He continued to stroke Nasir’s hair. “I thought it was best that you be taken to their den first, so the Arcadian would have a more difficult time tracking you. I concocted a plan to rescue you from them, but when I arrived, you had already killed the alpha.”

“I – I killed him?” For a few seconds, Nasir forgot his act as he let that bit of information sink in. He honestly hadn’t meant to, but what shocked him the most was his total lack of remorse. Batiatus had wanted to hurt Agron, and Nasir couldn’t let that happen.

“It was no more than he deserved.” Marcus obviously shared his disdain for the alpha.

“Yeah, he was an ass.” _Like some people I know._ “Mark, you saved me from all that and I’m grateful,” Nasir said, selecting his words very carefully. “But why am I still restrained?” He jiggled the ankle cuff. “What about my store and my friends? You won’t keep me rotting down here forever, right?”

Marcus laughed. “Of course not. It’s just until the three weeks are up.”

“Three weeks?” Nasir wracked his brain for why that was significant. 

“It’s when the mating mark will fade.” Marcus grabbed his wrist and turned it over to look at his marked palm. “After the mark is gone, Agron won’t ever have the opportunity to complete the mating ritual. You’ll be useless to him then. At the end of the three weeks, I’m betting you’ll be begging me to remain down here just to get away from him.”

“Why is that?” Nasir asked scathingly. 

“Because, once a Were-hunter finds his mate, he becomes impotent for everyone else. He can only fuck is his chosen one, and if the pair do not fully mate before the marks disappear, then even that is taken from him.”

“Seriously?” He tried to sit up, but Marcus kept him on his back by placing an immovable hand on his shoulder. 

“It is the only reason why he’s even looking for you now. Until you die, you’re his only chance at having sex again. At least, if he can get to you within the next two weeks and four days. After that, the only way he’ll stand a chance at finding a new mate and having sex again is to kill you.”

“What?! Agron wouldn’t do that!”

“You’re nothing to him but a toy to fuck whenever he’s horny. He could have easily mated to a female with the ability to give him progeny, but for whatever cruel reason, the Fates picked you. He’s better off with you dead.”

“Isn’t that all I am to _you?!_ ” Nasir knew he was damning himself by angering Marcus, but the words spilled out of him in defense of Agron and he was powerless to stop them. “You’ve only ever treated me like your property, like a _toy_ to use at your convenience. But you’ll never own me like Agron does. And it has nothing to do with this.” He held up his marked palm.

Marcus stood over him, absolutely livid. “Tell me! At what price does a whore sell himself to a dog?”

Without thought, Nasir swung his elbow as hard as he could and felt it connect with Marcus’ jaw with a dull thud. The shock of such an assault left him temporarily stunned and Nasir used it to his full benefit. The chain around his ankle gave him less than four feet of freedom, but it was enough to follow Marcus to the floor and pummel every inch of him within reach. 

Nasir was all set to shove his thumbs into Marcus’ orbital sockets, when the larger man knocked his hands away. Then Nasir reached around to grab Marcus’ balls in a vice-like grip. “I would love nothing better than to rip these off of you.” He twisted them and Marcus screamed. 

He didn’t blink when Marcus let out an inhuman growl, but continued to squeeze until he was suddenly thrown backwards and pinned to the wall. Marcus clutched his groin with one hand while the other was held up as though it commanded the invisible force that held Nasir immobile. With an incredulous shake of his head, Nasir realized it probably _was_ Marcus that controlled the force field. 

“Fine.” Marcus was breathing heavily and spat blood onto the floor. “ _Fine_. You won’t accept me? I’ll show you what happens to ungrateful whores who abandon and betray the ones who care for them.”

Nasir gritted his teeth as he tried to break free of the invisible hold Marcus had on him, but it was no use. “Let me go!” He didn’t know what made him more pissed, not being able to reign in his temper and remain on Marcus’ good side long enough to escape, or not beating that sick bastard with a baseball bat ages ago. 

With a dark laugh, Marcus walked right up to him and placed a hand around Nasir’s neck. “I’ll let you go, alright. And when I’m done using you, even that Arcadian dog wouldn’t lower himself to touch you.” He pulled back to deliver a blow to Nasir’s midsection that knocked the air out of his lungs. “You’re a pathetic waste. You never deserved my love.”

“Did you ever really love me? Truly?”

“Yes!” Marcus shrieked, releasing the invisible force field around him so that he slammed to the floor. 

Nasir stood against the pain in his stomach, body tense in preparation for more. “Well _I_ never loved _you_. Agron holds a larger piece of my soul after three days than what you’ve been able to carve out of me in three months. I shouldn’t have to barter myself to you for kindness, Marcus. Do whatever you like to my body, but know that the entire time, I’ll be thinking of Agron, of being in his arms, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! It's been a while since I've updated this. Amazing how time flies when you're being pulled in ten different directions... I'd planned on including Spartacus' introduction in this chapter, but I think I'd like to save him for next time. I'll try to post 15 in a timely manner! Thanks for being patient with me :)


	15. Spartacus

_Marcus’ basement, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Nasir’s eyes widened as Marcus conjured a flogger from thin air. Now that he thought back on it, he’d seen Agron do that a couple times, but he’d been so lost to passion that he hadn’t really paid attention. The sight of the flogger prompted him to double his efforts to free his wrists of the thick leather cuffs Marcus had placed on them before hanging him from the ceiling. At least the chain was no longer attached to his ankle, but it did him little good now as he was stretched so far he was barely able to support himself on the balls of his feet. 

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this. You have to know that we’re over.”

Marcus swung the flogger around experimentally without making contact. “There was a time, I’d have done anything for you. I loved you, gave you a home. But you were always so ungrateful and I never felt that I could fully trust you.” He struck Nasir’s stomach with the tips of the flogger. “Before sending you back to that dog, I’d just like the pleasure of knowing that I hurt you a fraction of the amount you hurt me.”

Nasir hissed as Marcus warmed his torso with the flogger, wishing he could shove the instrument down his throat. 

“I also have to admit, the idea of handing you over to him covered in my marks holds great appeal for me.” He swung his arm in a large arc and landed a more solid blow. “Now, boy, don’t hold back on me. You can cry out if it hurts. You can’t possibly fall any lower in my esteem than you already have.”

“I was going to say the same thing to you. Does it make you feel like a big man to overpower me with your magic? If you had an ounce of honor, you’d fight me man to man.”

“I am not a man!” He moved to place crisscrossing blows across Nasir’s back. “I am a Katagaria wolf. You’d stand no chance against me in my true form, even without magic.”

“Agron could take you down,” Nasir said with certainty, gritting his teeth against the growing pain caused by the flogger. “I saw how easily he cowed you in my store. You wouldn’t last two minutes.”

To his surprise, Marcus laughed. “It’s true. I probably couldn’t best him in a fair fight.” He put down the flogger, went to the large cabinet, and pulled out a strange-looking gun. “That’s why I have this. Cost me an arm and a leg, and I had to travel almost seventy years into the future to get it, but _this_ will assure my victory if he finds us.”

“What is it?” Nasir almost didn’t want the honest answer. 

“Let’s just say, that banning this weapon was the only thing that the Katagaria and Arcadians on the council have unanimously agreed upon in over six centuries. Even though they despise each other, each side would rather see every one of these destroyed than risk it being used on one of our kind. Because what happens when one of us gets shot with this gun, is so cruel that they don’t wish it on their worst enemy. For stealing you away from me, for marking you as his, that Arcadian isn’t going to know what hit him.”

“No!” Nasir could barely think past the swell of fear gripping him at the thought of Agron being hit with whatever ammunition that gun held. 

“I think I’d be doing you a favor, actually, but that can’t be helped. I’m not going to spoil the surprise. I’m dying to see the look on your face when I hit him with this baby.” Marcus returned the gun to the cabinet and drew out a thin crop. “You seem to be doing too well with the flogger. Let’s see how you like this one.”

 

_Omegrion Council Chambers_

Despite his eagerness to locate Nasir, Agron entered Spartacus’ domain cautiously. It was said that the leader of the Omegrion and enforcer of their laws had once wiped out an entire species for offending him. Agron had no desire to raise Spartacus’ hackles.

He grabbed Duro’s shirt collar to keep his brother from running impulsively into Spartacus’ home, which seemed more like a Roman temple than anything Agron could imagine. The other humans and animals from Sanctuary followed him at a much more sedate pace, clearly harboring more fear of Spartacus than his fool brother. 

Duro started to shout of Spartacus’ name, but Agron clapped a hand over his mouth. “Show some respect while you’re here or I will send you right back to Sanctuary.”

“Sure you would,” Duro snorted, not at all phased by his threat. “You and what –”

“This army,” a deep voice interrupted. A man seemed to materialize out of the shadow of a huge column. He was dressed in the armor of some ancient warrior and had a fierce scowl on his face. “Who among you is suicidal enough to barge into my realm unannounced seeking an audience?”

Agron was in no doubt that the man before him already knew the answer to his question, for that steely, dark gaze was fixed unswervingly on him. He stepped forward. “I did. Please, pardon my brother. I tried to teach him manners as a kid, but they never took. The best I can say is that he is, at least, housebroken.”

The corner of Spartacus’ mouth turned up in amusement. “So, why have you come? To make a complaint against the wolf and jackal who kidnapped Nasir? Ashur has already paid for his actions at the hands of Crixus and his pack mates. The jackal’s crimes are minor and will not sway me to exact further punishment. And Barca has already made peace with you. Or perhaps,” he said before Agron could utter a single word. “Perhaps you seek restitution against your former pack for the wholly unjust _timoria_ carried out on you and your brother.”

Agron clenched his teeth as Spartacus laid out his life before him. “That is not why I seek council.”

“Of course,” Spartacus said, his tone slightly condescending, yet calm understanding shone from his eyes. “This is a matter of the heart.”

“Yes. My mate –”

“Nasir is not your mate,” Spartacus interrupted swiftly, yet again, displaying his complete knowledge of the situation. “He is destined to be your mate, but until you complete the ritual, he is just a man – a human – and as such, is not protected under Were-hunter laws.”

He turned to leave, but Naevia stepped forward, despite Crixus’ firm grip on her shoulder that silently warned her back. “He was kidnapped, my lord.” She sounded somewhat unsure how best to address him. “Taken, by one of our own. Surely something can be done.”

“He is an unbound human, and the Omegrion does not recognize humans as a protected class. I did not write the laws, but I am honor bound to see them obeyed. My hands are tied. I am sorry.”

Even though he knew he should hold his tongue, Agron shouted at Spartacus’ retreating form. “You know everything! Just tell me where Nasir is now!”

Faster than he could blink, Spartacus flashed to stand in front of him and pinned him to the nearest column with unrivaled magical power. “You dare to command me?” he growled, face an inch from Agron’s, fury etched into every line. “I was making Were-hunters piss themselves in fear of me long before your grandfather was in diapers. Why should I give aid to a wretch like you?”

Agron growled, but before he could respond, he heard Spartacus’ voice in his head. 

_You are doing everything exactly right, just as I’d planned. I can’t give you a second chance, so don’t fuck this up, wolf. And you might think you can heal from bullet wounds, but do me a favor and avoid being shot at all costs during the next twenty four hours. Not even_ I _could bring you back from that._

Out loud, Spartacus said, “You all should know better than to involve me in something so trivial. Lover’s spats do not concern me. Return when you have evidence of law breakers.”

He vanished without another word just as Agron smacked himself on the head. Of course! Lover’s spat. How could he be so stupid? “I know where Nasir is,” he said to no one in particular. 

Duro saw the look on his brother’s face a second too late. “Agron! Wait!” He launched himself at Agron, but the other man had already flashed out. 

“Shit! Where’d he go?”

“Shouldn’t be hard to find,” Oenomaus said in his deep, soothing voice. “He isn’t even bothering to hide his trail.”

Duro chewed his lip while Oenomaus shut his eyes and tracked Agron. Every second seemed like an eternity. Finally, Oenomaus said confidently, “Back in New Orleans. A Katagaria wolf I do not know by name, but who has come to Sanctuary a time or two in the past. I can take us there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hint: If anyone has ever read Shadow of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon, you'll already know what the weapon is. *Claps in excitement* And no, it won't be used on Marcus. I'm about 80% sure...


	16. Pulse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A thousand apologies for the long wait for this chapter. You know the story - real life got crazy and got in the way of my writing time. I got a small push yesterday from a commenter and it motivated me to kick myself into gear to get this posted. Nothing feeds my muse better than hearing from you wonderful readers :)

_Marcus’ basement, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Nasir gritted his teeth against the pain caused by the electrodes placed on his body. He didn’t know how long Marcus had been torturing him, but he wouldn’t give that animal the satisfaction of knowing how much he hurt. 

“Come on, boy. I know you can scream better than that. Remember when I surprised you that one morning? I snuck into your apartment and tied you open? I know I gagged you once I started fisting you, but I’ll never forget those sounds you made. Got me so hard. After you were nice and stretched for me, I fucked you into the mattress. I know if you’d have been able to speak, you’d have had a few choice words for me then, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” Nasir whispered. “I’d have said that all that foreplay was unnecessary. I can take your tiny dick with minimal prep.” He groaned when Marcus turned up the voltage. 

“You’re lucky I have no interest in bedding an Arcadian whore, even if you belonged to me first.”

“You never owned me, Mark. If you have to take it by force, it never belonged to you in the first place.”

Marcus growled deep in his throat, but before he could respond, his head snapped up in the direction of the basement door. A grin spread across his face. “It seems as though your dog has found us after all.”

Nasir started to shout, but a ball gag suddenly appeared in his mouth and Marcus flashed behind him to buckle it tightly. Then, despite his struggles, Marcus slipped a black leather hood over his head that entirely deprived him of his eyesight. Even more pissed off and terrified for Agron, Nasir resisted as best he could, but the cuffs on his wrists still wouldn’t budge. 

“Nasir!”

Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes at the most wonderful sound he could imagine: Agron’s voice. Quick footfalls on the stairs told him Agron was nearby, and he tried to make a noise past the gag, but Marcus pressed against his windpipe and cut off his supply of air. 

A rage Agron hadn’t thought possible ripped through him as he entered the basement and saw Marcus with a naked and hooded Nasir in his arms. A snarl tore from his human throat, but he froze where he was when Marcus pressed up beneath Nasir’s chin. 

“Nasir? Can you hear me? Nasir?” His voice broke on the last word. His heart felt like it was collapsing within his chest when he saw Nasir’s body go limp as he passed out. Agron used his powers to remove the strange discs attached to him, and clothed him in soft drawstring pants and a cotton shirt. He could see the bruises and welts on Nasir’s skin, but wished to give him a modicum of concealment. 

Marcus laughed at his actions. “I didn’t know Arcadians were so prudish. Don’t Arcadian packs keep their bitches naked? I was going to give him back to you, but you found us before I was through with him.”

“I’m going to kill you, you miserable vomitus mass, for all you’ve done to Nasir. It’s entirely up to you if I do it quick and easy, or slow and painfully. I kind of hope you choose the latter so I can savor your disembowelment.”

“I’ve done nothing wrong in the eyes of the Omegrion. Humans are nothing to them, they’re dirt, and Arcadians are barely a step above that in my book.”

“I’m going to kill you,” Agron repeated, his fury mounting ever second he had to look at that smug face. “I’ve decided to do it slowly. I’ll skin you and use your hide as a rug. I’ll mount your head to my wall.” Not that he had walls of his own at the moment, as he was still living in Sanctuary, but he’d get some just so he could hang that bastard on one.

Even though his native form was that of a man, fighting Marcus as a wolf would be the obvious choice. Just as he was sure the Katagaria would flash to his stronger animal form, the group from Sanctuary teleported into the basement next to him. 

Marcus snarled at them all. “Just like an Arcadian! A dozen against one is just the odds you like, isn’t it? You’re so human it makes me sick to my stomach to look at you!”

“No one attack,” Agron ordered. “This is between me and him. Get Nasir down.” He didn’t look to see who ran to obey his terse command, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Nasir was being cared for. 

Duro moved to stand at his side, but Agron shoved him back. “Gannicus, keep him out of this.”

“I would stand at your side!”

“I know, brother. But I must fight alone.”

“Then what are we standing around talking for?” Marcus shouted. “When I’m done with you, dog, I want all of you out of my house! And take your whore with you.”

At the word _whore_ , Agron flashed to his white timber wolf form and hurled himself at Marcus, who shifted just in time to avoid being gutted by his claws. Dimly, Agron was aware of the others forming a circle around himself and Marcus, but his focus lie squarely on the one who’d caused his mate so much pain and suffering. 

It became obvious very quickly, that Marcus was no match for his fighting skills. His talents, however, ran more in the vein of vicious taunting and head games. 

_I made Nasir call me Sir as I had him on his knees and fucked him from behind. He fucking loved it. I hope you have stamina, that whore needs to be filled often and it won’t matter if it’s you or not. Faithless pig. Do you want to hear how I made him beg? I regret now not putting a collar on him and leashing him to my bed like the bitch he is._

In his blind anger, Agron left himself vulnerable to attack and received a sharp blow to the face followed by a deep gash in his shoulder. With great effort, he reigned in his emotions and gave Marcus a mental and physical shove that sent him straight toward Crixus. The bear quickly put up a shield to prevent the wolf from barreling into him. 

Nasir opened his eyes to see a pretty woman with short brown hair kneeling beside him. Someone had removed the hood, gag, and wrist cuffs, and had laid him on the cold floor. Looking down at himself, he was grateful to see that he’d also been clothed with a light cotton shirt and pants. He started to speak, but the woman held her finger to her lips and spoke in his head. Strange that he was becoming accustomed to it. 

_Quietly. Don’t want to interrupt the fight. A distraction could cost him his life._

Nasir then looked past a wall of people to the origin of a horrible snarling and growling noise that he’d heard but, up until this moment, ignored. 

“Agron’s the white one, isn’t he?” he asked softly, eyeing the two wolves with increasing dread. His wolf, the large white timber wolf, the one he instinctively knew was Agron, appeared to be winning. But Nasir knew that Marcus had a trick up his sleeve.

“You have to stop this. Marcus has a gun –”

_Our kind heal from bullet wounds,_ she said placating. _Nothing will happen to Agron. Even if he were hit, he’d heal in a matter of days._

Nasir shook his head and looked back to the fighting wolves, wishing he could do something to stop it, but not wanting to cause Agron’s attention to be diverted from the task at hand. In the end, it didn’t matter that he remained silent. The white wolf locked gazes with him and froze. It was only for an instant, but it was long enough for the other wolf to sink its teeth into Agron’s neck. 

“No!” A man with short dreadlocks shouted and tried to jump into the brawl. Two others struggled to restrain him. 

Unnoticed by the circle of people, Nasir slipped past them and, recklessly, thoughtlessly, put all his weight behind a hard shove to Marcus, dislodging him from his hold on Agron. Nasir watched Agron transformed from a wolf into a bleeding man on the floor as someone pulled him back. 

“Stay back!” A voice hissed furiously in his ear.

Agron involuntarily flashed to his base form, unable to hold onto his animal nature while he was wounded. Marcus panted on the floor – still too much alive for his taste. Flashing to human form, Marcus staggered upright. Agron could see the immense effort it took the Katagaria to remain in his alternate form with the amount of damage he’d received, and if he didn’t resent every breath the wolf drew, he’d be mildly impressed. 

“I’ll never understand how a pathetic Arcadian whelp stole Nasir away from me.” Marcus spat through clenched teeth. He conjured a gun and the toll it took in his weakened state drove him to his knees, but with surprising steadiness, Marcus took aim. “You need to be punished for what you’ve done to me. I can make it so that you and that whore are finally equals.”

As Agron braced himself for the bullet, he remembered what Spartacus has told him: Not to get shot at all costs. He suddenly knew what ammunition the gun held. Their people called it the Pulse. Were-hunters hit with it were locked in their base form – permanently. It also robbed them of their magic. The Pulse was considered the cruelest punishment a Were-hunter could lay down on another, it also happened to be quite illegal. 

Agron heard sounds of recognition and horror from the Sanctuary crowd, but trusted them to let him handle this. He would never allow any of them to fight or die in his place. “Stay back,” he reminded them, more for Duro’s benefit than anything else. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to get hit with this thing. 

Trying to summon a shield while bleeding out from a neck wound was no small feat, but it was all he could do in the split second before Marcus pulled the trigger – he hoped it would be enough. 

A blinding flash of light illuminated the room and broke his concentration. Marcus cursed and Agron heard the gun clatter to the floor. 

“Hell, wolf,” came a voice deep like thunder. “Call me sooner next time. Literally one second later and I wouldn’t be able to call you ‘wolf’ anymore.”


	17. Irresistible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd planned on waiting right up until I left for my "vacation" to post 17, but I couldn't resist sharing the next chapter a little early ;)

_Marcus’ basement, New Orleans, Louisiana_

A blinding flash of light illuminated the room and broke his concentration. Marcus cursed and Agron heard the gun clatter to the floor. 

“Hell, wolf,” came a voice deep like thunder. “Call me sooner next time. Literally one second later and I wouldn’t be able to call you ‘wolf’ anymore.”

Spartacus gazed at Marcus dispassionately and the wolf howled in anger, charging weakly at him. Almost immediately, he rebounded off an invisible wall and collapsed. 

“Call you?” Agron asked, nonplussed. “I didn’t –”

Spartacus cut him a sharp look. _I’m bending enough rules for you. I’m not supposed to interfere unless called upon._

Agron shut his mouth and stood up, his body already beginning to heal from Marcus’ bite. “He and I aren’t done,” he spat, glaring at the wolf on the floor. 

“Yes, you are,” the leader of the Omegrion said, his tone final. “When this was just an honest squabble between wolves, you could have fought to the death. But Marcus broke the law when he obtained the Pulse and threatened to use it on you. That means he belongs in my custody.”

Agron wanted to argue, but no one argued with Spartacus. Not for long, anyway. His desire to fight was also tempered by the fact that Spartacus was obviously on his side. To his knowledge, Spartacus didn’t often act in such a biased manner, but he was grateful that their leader had put aside his impartiality in this instance.

“Though I cannot allow you to kill him, I will allow you the honor of arresting him.” Spartacus conjured a _metriazo_ collar, the same kind of shackle that his pack had put on Duro and himself during their punishment. It performed the same function as the Pulse, yet the effects were only active while the prisoner wore it. 

“With pleasure.” Agron took the collar from Spartacus and knelt down next to Marcus, who glared his hatred at him while in his wolf form. For an instant after he secured the collar around the wolf’s neck, he felt a flash of sympathy for the wretched beast. Agron wondered what had happened to Marcus in the past to drive him to such cruelty. His father had always said that no one is born evil, but are driven slowly to the edge of it by a series of innocuous events that shapes them into the person they are now. 

_Your father was a wise man and a good friend to me. You don’t want to know what pushed Marcus into his madness,_ Spartacus whispered in his head, cementing the notion that the leader of the Omegrion could read thoughts rather than just project them into another’s mind as the rest of them could do. More than anything else, this made it obvious that Spartacus was not a mere Were-hunter, but something infinitely more powerful. 

Agron stood and went to Spartacus, wanting to thank him for all that he’d done, but before the words could form on his tongue, Spartacus spoke. 

“You have no idea what all I’ve done for you, wolf. I will accept no thanks. Go to your Nasir before Oenomaus puts him out. We will talk at another time. I have some punishment to deal out. And Agron? One piece of advice. Do not let fear dictate your choices. Decisions made by the heart are seldom, if ever, regretted.” 

Before Agron could ask what he meant by that, Spartacus teleported himself and the nearly unconscious wolf out of the basement. 

Agron’s gaze then went to Nasir, who sat on a little camp-bed and was surrounded by Sanctuary staff. He looked mildly overwhelmed, and when his gaze met Agron’s, he froze with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, coming to a kneel before Nasir and placing a hand on his knee. 

Nasir stared at him and Agron wondered whether or not he was disgusted after watching him transform between a wolf and a man. He took it as a good sign that Nasir didn’t cringe away from his touch. 

“Agron,” Oenomaus said in his low, soothing voice. “I don’t think he’s slept more than a few hours in the past two days. He needs rest and treatment for his injuries. None appear serious or life-threatening, but they do require attention.”

“Take him to Sanctuary.” Naevia wrapped a gentle arm around Nasir’s shoulders, barely making contact. “He will be safe and well-cared for. You too, Agron. Oenomaus will want to clean your wounds. And you haven’t slept either.”

“Nothing like papa hawk and mama bear fussing over you to bring on the healing energy.”

Crixus scowled at Duro’s comment. “I notice you’re not complaining after being treated under their attentive care.”

Duro held his hands up in surrender. “I ooze gratefulness. All I’m saying is you guys put the ‘bear’ in overbearing.”

“If it’s oozing, Scooby, Oenomaus really should take a look at it. I’m sure it’s not a sign of some deadly illness, but one can hope.”

“Shut up, you giant teddy bear!”

Growling, Crixus took one step toward him, but Gannicus stepped between them. “Can we all take a second to be ashamed of ourselves when _I’m_ marveling at your immaturity? Let’s get the hell out of here.”

 

_Oenomaus’ office, Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Nasir wished he had the energy to protest when they took him to a white doctor’s office, or to do anything at all, but he hardly had the vigor to keep his eyes open. 

Oenomaus handed him a small glass of an alarmingly iridescent pink liquid. 

“What’s this?”

“It will help heal your body as you sleep.”

Unable to think of a good reason to refuse it, Nasir downed it in one gulp. It obviously had some kind of sedative in it as well because almost at once he felt his eyelids drooping. Not that he needed help in the sleeping department, of course. 

“Agron.”

Practically flying across the room at Nasir’s soft summons, Agron stopped next to Oenomaus’ examining table and brushed a hand against his cheek. “Yes?” Nasir hadn’t spoken to him since they’d rescued him from Marcus’ basement so he hung on every word that came out of his mouth. 

“I don’t want to go to sleep without feeling you. Do you mind holding me?” His brain was too mushy to care how desperate he sounded. 

“No, of course not.” Agron climbed onto the table behind him and draped an arm across his waist, pressing himself against Nasir’s back. “Rest now,” he whispered, placing a kiss on his mate’s shoulder blade. 

 

_Agron’s room, Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

When Nasir woke, he was out of the examining room and in a comfortable bed. A light snore drew his attention to Agron, sleeping in an armchair near a small dresser. Blinking a few times to wake himself up, he took the opportunity to study him. 

A large, white bandage was taped across his neck and shoulder blade, but nothing else indicated that he’d just been in a fight for his life. He looked… Nasir searched for the right word. 

Disheveled. Scruffy, perhaps. A few days’ worth of whiskers grew on his face. It was a sexy look on him, but Nasir suspected he’d just stopped caring about his appearance. If he wasn’t mistaken, Agron appeared to be in the same clothes as the last time he’d seen him. 

Because there were no clock or windows in the room, Nasir didn’t know how long he lay there looking at him. His stomach clenched when he thought of why Agron slept in the chair instead of in the bed with him. Hadn’t he given his permission? Asked for Agron to hold him?

Obviously, Agron was still angry at being rejected, angry over the ridiculous accusations he’d thrown around after seeing the matching marks for the first time. Nasir couldn’t blame him, but he had hoped that the fact that Agron had come for him at Marcus’ place had meant he was forgiven. 

Agron opened his eyes to see Nasir watching him sadly. He immediately knelt next to the bed, resting his forearms against it, fingertips lightly brushing Nasir’s arm. 

“What’s wrong? Are you in any pain? Should I call Oenomaus? Unless you’re hungry – in that case I’ll call Naevia. What do you feel like eating? If they don’t have it in the kitchen, I’ll go get it somewhere else. They make killer red beans and rice here, if you’re interested.” His gaze fell to where he touched Nasir’s arm. “You’re cold! You have goose bumps.” He conjured a thick, heavy blanket to cover the quilt he’d gotten from Nasir’s store when they’d first met. “I can get someone to turn up the heat in here. It’s like a freezer, I know. I’m sorry –”

When he paused to draw breath, Nasir took the opportunity to slap a hand over his mouth. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m in no pain thanks to that funky pink stuff they gave me. I’m not famished, but I wouldn’t say no to some red beans and rice and a beer. I definitely don’t have goose bumps because I’m _cold_ , and if I get any hotter, I’m going to spontaneously combust into flames.”

Agron’s eyes widened and his gaze fell to Nasir’s slightly parted lips, then lifted to look into those lust-darkened brown eyes. He leaned forward and met him halfway for the most tender kiss he’d ever been given in his life. 

Then it turned hungry. It was all Agron could do to break away, his breathing ragged. 

“Wait – stop. This is why I was sleeping in the chair. To keep from doing _this_.”

“Then you are mad at me,” Nasir stated glumly. 

“Mad? Babe, why on earth would I be mad at you? It’s _you_ who’s mad at _me_.”

“Agron, I’m not angry at you. I was wrong to say that stuff to you. I should have let you explain. Instead I said some pretty shitty things. I’m sorry.”

Agron cupped Nasir’s cheek in his palm. “The first thing I should have done was to tell you the truth. I shouldn’t have tried to hide this all from you. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for.”

Nasir’s mouth quirked up in a smirk that drained most of the blood from his brain and redirected it to another part of his anatomy. “I wouldn’t have believed you. I think this is the kind of thing I’d have had to see to believe. I’m still not totally unconvinced that I’m not just insane. It’s the simplest explanation.”

“You’re just as sane as me. Or, I should just say that you’re not insane. If you talk to my brother, he’ll tell you I’m a few notes short of a full choir, if you catch my meaning.”

“I’d like to meet him, if that’s okay. I’m sure I’ll need half a dozen showers though, to get Marcus’ stench off me before that happens.”

Agron looked at him innocently. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but…”

He laughed. “You’re one to talk. You don’t look like you’ve even changed clothes or shaved since…” Nasir stopped himself before he said _I kicked you out_. “Since the other day. You still have blood on you!” 

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and made to head to the bathroom. The sight of the angry, red welt surrounding his ankle made him hesitate at a startling reminder of what he’d just been through. Before he could say anything, Agron picked him up – bridal style, to add insult to injury. 

“Put me down! I’m perfectly capable of walking by myself!”

“Stop struggling!” Agron snapped as he kicked the bathroom door open. “And we’re here already.” He sat Nasir down on the closed toilet seat. 

“There’s nothing wrong with my ankle,” he said petulantly. He wished Agron didn’t always have to see him so weak and in need of rescuing. 

“Okay, babe,” Agron said once the tub was filled with steaming hot water. “Into the bath with you.” He grinned teasingly. 

“Gee, no bubbles? Are we cave people? I’m very shy…” He’d barely finished speaking when the tub was suddenly filled with bubbles. Nasir laughed. “I was being sarcastic. And why do you people do anything the boring old human way when you can do that?” He gestured to the bath. 

“Sometimes feeling normal and fitting in mean more to me than speed. Also conservation of energy. Now clothes off, no more stalling. Let me take care of you, please.”

Nasir wanted to protest, but couldn’t argue with that sweet, hopeful expression.

As he slowly began stripping out of the pajama-like clothes he was in, Agron covered his eyes with his hands. “Here – I won’t even gawk at you. Modesty intact.”

He smirked “I was kidding. I know you know that because I can see you peeking.”

“Busted.” Agron grinned, abandoning all pretenses, his deep-set dimples out in full force. “You’re irresistible.”


	18. Bath

_Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

As he slowly began stripping out of the pajama-like clothes he was in, Agron covered his eyes with his hands and said, “Here – I won’t even gawk at you. Modesty intact.”

He smirked “I was kidding. I know you know that because I can see you peeking.”

“Busted,” grinned Agron, abandoning all pretense, his deep-set dimples out in full force. “You’re irresistible.”

Nasir hissed and winced as he sank into the water. Agron’s joking demeanor vanished at once. “Is the water too hot? Anything hurt? Do you need –” He broke off when Nasir started laughing.

“God, you’re easy. But would you please stop treating me like that?”

Agron appeared clueless. “Like what?” 

“Like I’m a grenade you have to handle with extreme caution. I’m really okay. Promise.”

“I’m sorry.” He handed Nasir a bar of soap and tried to ignore his body’s reaction to seeing him naked and wet. “This is how I deal with guilt. It’s strange, Duro loves being fawned over.”

“Why do you feel guilty?”

“Oh, no reason,” Agron replied sarcastically. “Only because everything that’s happened to you has been my fault.”

Nasir was silent several heartbeats. “Well, I must say, this really is an honor. Had I known I was being fucked by god, I’d have tried to make it last longer.” 

The corner of Agron’s lips turned up in a reluctant smile. “Which time?”

Nasir shrugged. “Both, I guess. Look, Agron, none of this was your fault. I don’t blame you. It’s not like you control fate or anyone’s actions but your own. It wasn’t your fault.”

Agron nodded, but in his heart, he knew the truth. If it hadn’t been for him barging into Nasir’s store, not keeping his hands to himself, being the reason Nasir received the mating mark, he’d have never been a target for Batiatus. Not to mention, Marcus wouldn’t have felt so threatened by his presence to the extent that he had to hold Nasir captive. His life was dangerous and only a selfish bastard put their own happiness above that of their mate. 

Nasir could practically see the wheels turning in Agron’s head and didn’t like the direction he was sure they were headed. “Agron, I know we have a lot to talk about and a shit-ton of stuff to work out. But for now, can’t we forget about all that? Put all the assholes in our past behind us and never let them hurt us again? And can’t you just be kissing me right now?”

With a groan, Agron obliged him, cupping the back of his head in both hands to hold him still as he plundered his mouth like he’d been fantasizing about since rescuing him from Marcus’ clutches.

Nasir rose up to meet Agron’s hungry kiss as much as the tub allowed. It wasn’t nearly enough. “I want you in here with me.”

Breaking their kiss only long enough to tug off his shirt and pants, Agron quickly climbed into the water with him. Between kisses, Agron asked, “You sure you’re feeling up to this? I really was just trying to preserve your honor earlier. When I’m this close to you, it’s all I can do not to touch you,” he ran his hands down Nasir’s slick back. “Taste you.” His lips latched onto Nasir’s neck and sucked. “Mm… Soapy.”

“I’m definitely up for sexy bath time. I need shampoo.” 

A bottle of shampoo appeared instantly in Agron’s hand, which he then upturned onto Nasir’s head. 

“Not for me!” Nasir said, laughing as Agron began to lather his hair. “I wanted to do you.”

Agron only grinned as Nasir got a palm-full of shampoo and attacked his mess of dreadlocks. He stared into the human’s warm brown eyes as they each washed the other’s hair. How wonderful would it be to stay like this, forever in his arms, without having to worry about the outside world intruding on them?

Once their hair had been rinsed, Nasir maneuvered them until he straddled Agron, then grabbed the bar of soap. “After all the TLC I’ve received, I think it’s time I paid it forward.” When he saw Agron open his mouth to dispute his claim, he pressed a finger to his lips. “Argue with me and you’ll see what a major bitch I can be. Okay, buttercup? Let me get your fantastic body all squeaky clean for my climbing pleasure later.”

Agron grinned and surrendered to his attentions. Nasir washed him methodically and the sensation of being looked after, of being somebody’s sole focus, was so unfamiliar and delightful that he never wanted it to end. 

“Am I allowed to give you a hand? I don’t think you were meticulous enough in your own washing.”

“I was! You saw me!”

Biting back a wicked smirk, Agron forced an innocent look to fall across his features. “I did see. And I noticed the grievous oversight. You missed a spot.” 

“I didn’t –” His words ended in a moan when Agron’s soap-slickened fingers circled his hole. 

“I _cannot believe_ you didn’t see the punchline coming,” he said, tone full of feigned censure as he gently opened him up. “There is no sight more beautiful than your face when I’m inside you, even a single finger.”

“I disagree –” Nasir’s breath hitched as Agron prodded his gland. “That tender, sappy look you get when you’re taking care of me...that’s the most magnificent sight to behold.”

Agron’s chest swelled at Nasir’s answer. He was wrong, of course, to think that anyone could surpass him in splendor, but there was a time not too long ago when his comment would have been met with a disbelieving scoff or a roll of the eyes. “I don’t look sappy.”

“You’re tall like a tree and produce a ton of sap. You’re Sappy Gonzales, quickest sap in the –”

“Alright! I get the picture. Any more insults you want to throw at me as you completely destroy my male ego?”

Nasir leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple. “I love it.” Then he reached down to palm Agron’s erection. “And I think you’ve still got a pretty sizable male ego right here.”

“Smart ass. Wanna give me a hand there?”

He scoffed. “Why would I waste this on bath time? I have plans, big plans.”

Agron thrust up into Nasir’s grip. “Ah, we Were-hunters are not limited as are you puny humans. Sex invigorates us, makes us stronger.”

“We’re going to circle around to that ‘puny human’ remark at another date, but for now, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Agron smiled proudly. “Yep. Multiple orgasms, baby.”

Nasir laughed at his enthusiasm. Sadly, it explained some of his strange experiences with Marcus. “I would love to see that in action.” He reached behind him and pulled the stopper for the tub, letting the water drain until Agron’s cock was no longer submerged. Wasting no time, Nasir took him into his mouth. 

Agron lay boneless under Nasir’s tongue tasting the most tender part of him. Fingers reached up and brushed the ends of his wet hair before remembering what Nasir had said about his hair being pulled during sex. Obviously, Marcus had used this tactic to control and belittle him, and Agron wanted nothing to remind Nasir of that abusive dill-weed while they were together. Instead, he clutched the human’s shoulder while he slowly unraveled beneath his gentle touch. 

“I’m gonna to come…” He only just had enough time to push Nasir off before he swelled even further and shot like a firework. “Oh, my fuck. Oh, Nasir. Nasir…” Rather than allow himself to be pushed away, Nasir leaned down to catch Agron’s spend on his tongue.

A self-satisfied smile evident on his face, Nasir sat back, licking his lips. He had a fist wrapped around the base of his cock.

“You keeping that pretty cock hard for me, baby?” Agron’s dick filled steadily at the sight of Nasir’s hands on himself. 

A faint blush stole up his neck. “The opposite actually. A little too excited.”

Agron’s hardness bobbed to full attention at that admission. “Oh, yeah? Sucking my brains out through my cock gets you that excited? You like tasting me?” He leaned forward, speaking the words against Nasir’s lips. 

Closing the scant distance between them, Nasir claimed Agron’s lips. For once, he didn’t yield, but fought him for dominance of the kiss, trying to express the level of his desire. “I love tasting you,” he whispered before diving in for another kiss. “I want you inside of me. But wait –” He dodged Agron’s lips. “If I don’t ask now I’ll forget and that might be a huge mistake.”

Agron drew back to look at him warily. “What?”

Nasir held up his marked hand. “This means we’re mates?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Technically that we’re destined to be mates.”

“There’s a ritual…”

“Ah… The ritual.” He wished that Batiatus or Marcus or whoever Nasir had talked to about Were-hunters hadn’t mentioned the ritual. “It happens during sex. Those that wish to become mates are joined and press their marked palms against each other.”

Nasir took Agron’s hand into his and stared at his mark. “That’s it?”

“There’s some words that are said, like vows, and then they’re mates for life.” Agron swallowed past an unexpected lump in his throat. “Are you asking just to be sure we don’t complete the ritual by accident?”

Nasir started to shake his head, but sighed in resignation. “Yes. I’m not saying anything one way or the other regarding this mating business, but I wanted to be sure we talked about it first.”

“I couldn’t force you to mate with me if you didn’t want to. The way it’s set up, neither party can be coerced into mating against their will.”

Nasir chewed his bottom lip. “Thanks for letting me know how it works. Sorry I killed the mood.”

Agron cupped Nasir’s cheek. “Don’t be. You have every right to know this stuff. I wish I’d been more upfront about all this in the beginning, but having sex right now won’t commit you to anything you’re unprepared for.”

Undulating gently in Agron’s lap, Nasir let his hands map the ridges and planes of Agron’s chest. “One thing I’m unprepared for? To be split open by your cock. I need more prep than a single finger. Can bath time be over now?”

The way Nasir could flip his switch with so few words amazed him. How could this unbelievably sexy human be his destined mate? “Bath time is done. Now, bed time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, guys! I hope the fact that I've begun writing a little Barca/Pietros spin-off in this universe makes up for my tardiness. I went on my "vacation" and instead of writing for Agron and Nasir, my muse wouldn't shut up about Barca and Pietros! So I started their story. It won't be nearly as extensive as Human Mate, but I hope it will be enjoyed :)
> 
> I'm having a hard time thinking up a good title, which has never been my forte. I have a few ideas, but none that I'm in love with thus far. Could I get some feedback? Maybe pick one of my brainstorms or even suggest a new one? It would make me love you all even more! Would posting a short snippet help in the naming?? Let me know ;) Anyway, here are my thoughts so far:
> 
> Unmated Love  
> Lovers, not Mates  
> A Hawk and a Wolf


	19. Reconciliation

_Agron’s room, Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

They were slow getting to bed. Between drying off with Sanctuary’s fluffy white towels and exchanging enflaming, teasing caresses, Nasir was completely out of his mind with the need to have Agron inside him _right now_.

Unable to resist those tempting lips, Nasir wrapped his arms around Agron’s neck and pulled him down for a scorching kiss. He didn’t protest when Agron lifted him and began carrying him back to the bed. He even wrapped his legs around those narrow hips and encouraged him with soft murmured praises spoken into his mouth. 

Without breaking their kiss, Agron laid Nasir down on the bed and crawled on top of him, his arms bearing the brunt of his weight. He explored Nasir’s mouth with his tongue as though he’d never get another chance to taste him, loving the way his mate accepted him inside. 

“Tell me what you want. You want me inside you, getting your hole ready for my cock?”

Nasir’s fingers clenched on his skull almost painfully. “ _Yes!_ Yes, I want that.”

Agron pressed kisses down his neck and journeyed lower until he could tongue Nasir’s hard nipples, taking one between his teeth and using just enough pressure so that he writhed beneath him. 

“You want my mouth on you?” Agron asked, his voice barely more than a growl. “Opening you up?”

“God, yes. Please, Agron, do it now,” Nasir mewled, too on fire to pay heed to how needy he sounded. 

Suddenly, Agron cursed and withdrew from him. 

“ _What?_ ” Nasir asked sharply, the impatience in his tone obvious.

Agron brushed the back of his fingers over the stubble on his face. “I forgot to shave.”

“Oh. I didn’t even think. I haven’t shaved today either. It doesn’t matter.” Nasir tried to pull him back down.

“I’ll give you whisker burn.” Already, he could see the scratches on Nasir’s face and chest where his stubble had rubbed against him. 

Agron made to leave the bed, but Nasir wouldn’t let him. “I don’t care,” he reiterated. “Does that hurt?” He asked suddenly, tracing the edge of the bandage across Agron’s neck and shoulder. 

“Huh?” Agron looked down to see what drew Nasir’s attention. “Uh, no. I’d forgotten it was there.” When he peeled the bandage off, Nasir saw that it was completely healed over. 

“Wow.” The skin was slightly reddened, but Nasir couldn’t see any trace of Marcus’ bite marks. 

“Are we comparing injuries now? How are yours? Hurts at all?”

“No. Really!” Agron didn’t seem convinced. “I know you’re going to hate hearing this, but I’ve been through worse.” At least Marcus hadn’t raped him. 

“You’re right. I hate hearing that.” Agron let his fingers brush the faint bruises across Nasir’s chest and arms, the muscles twitching under his touch. Oenomaus’ medicine had worked wonders, but Nasir was human and still required time to heal. 

“Kiss me some more,” Nasir said, wishing to distract him from the hideous marks all over his body.

Their lips collided again as Agron rolled them back so that he was on top. This time when he traveled down Nasir’s body, he didn’t stop until he reached that gorgeous cock. He kissed the shaft and toyed with the head, letting the moisture coat his fingers until he had enough to lubricate the entire length. 

Nasir bucked his hips, but Agron didn’t take him into his mouth. “I want…” He paused. What if Nasir thought it was weird?

“Anything,” Nasir panted. “Anything if it means you’ll suck me already. I’m on fire for you.”

Playfully, Agron licked a strip up the underside of Nasir’s cock. “I want your release on me, your scent on my skin. And then I want to make love to you when you’re still quivering and sensitive from your orgasm.”

Nasir’s erection pulsed and leaked onto his belly. “It would appear that I’m yours.” He treasured Agron’s description of the act: making love. “Have your wicked way with me.”

Agron kissed and sucked a spot on Nasir’s hip bone. “You know to stop me if –”

“Agron, we’re passed that. I trust you implicitly not to hurt me. And if you do something I don’t like, you know I’ll speak up.” This wasn’t like when he was with Marcus, who didn’t give a shit about anything except his own pleasure. Agron was so focused on him and read his body so well that it felt as though they’d been lovers for years. 

The protectiveness Agron felt at Nasir’s words rose up in him and almost took him over. He conjured lube from thin air and started with a single finger in his tight hole. “I wish it could always be like this.”

“Like you –” Nasir’s breath hitched as Agron massaged his prostate. “Like when you’re inside me?”

“Us, together.” 

“It can be.” He bucked beneath Agron’s touch. “Suck my dick. Make me come.”

Without another word, Agron went down on him, holding down writhing hips with a heavy arm across his waist. Working slowly, Agron eventually took him in until his nose pressed against damp pubic hair. He inhaled, wanting to be drunk on Nasir’s musky, natural scent. Even though his earlier climax had taken some of the edge off, his blood burned with need to pound inside him, but he’d never treat his gentle human that way. 

Agron eased in another finger, rolling Nasir’s sac in his left hand. “How does that feel?”

Nasir moaned. “You know.”

“I’d still like to hear you say it.”

Panting through the mounting pleasure elicited by Agron’s touch, he said, “So good, the way you play me, like a virtuoso. Faster… There. I’m – I’m coming!”

“Give it to me,” he demanded, quickening his strokes to Nasir’s shaft and sliding a third finger into him as he released.

Agron continued stretching and fucking him with thick fingers through his orgasm. While Nasir was still riding the waves of his pleasure, Agron lifted his leg over one massive shoulder and entered him swiftly, the thickness only adding to his ecstasy. 

“Oh, god, Agron!” The boneless sensation coupled with the continued stimulation was almost too much to handle. When Agron stroked his sensitive dick in time with his thrusts, Nasir thought he’d go out of his mind. “I can’t… it’s too much. Fuck, harder, fuck me harder.”

Agron laughed once at Nasir’s contradictory statements. It was nearly too much for him as well. Sinking into the tight, hot cavern of his mate’s supple body made it difficult to maintain control of his strength. Despite the fact that Nasir now knew what he was, the burden still fell on him to keep himself in check and not hurt the fragile human.

“You’re perfect, made for me, baby. Think I can get you hard again?” He toyed with the head of Nasir’s cock, causing him to contract around his length. 

“No,” Nasir keened. “I can’t so soon. Just keep fucking me.”

Agron did, his thrusts losing their steady rhythm the closer he got to his own release. Stroking a hand down Nasir’s stomach, he caught a handful of his mate’s release and then rubbed it onto his own chest, wanting to mingle their scents. He wished he could stave off his orgasm, but he was lost the second Nasir began pinching and rolling his nipples between his thumb and forefinger. 

Nasir savored the sight of Agron coming apart above him. What did a god like that see in him? No one had a right to be so gorgeous. And his orgasm didn’t stop. 

“Agron?”

He lay atop Nasir as his body continued to release. “Our – our climax lasts for several minutes. Can’t pull out ‘til it’s done.”

Nasir smiled and stroked Agron’s damp cheek as the huge body above him shuddered. “I love feeling you like this. Take your time.”

When Agron felt it was finally safe to pull out, he collapsed next to Nasir and lay so that they were face to face. “Are you okay?”

“Are you kidding?” His eyelids drooped sleepily. “I feel amazing. Completely sated. You get bigger at the end, don’t you?”

Agron nodded. 

“It’s always been like that? And the orgasm? You didn’t do that the other times.”

“I used magic to distract you so you wouldn’t notice how long I took,” Agron said guiltily. 

Nasir smiled and smacked his arm without force. “So much you didn’t tell me. I like that I know you now, though.” A scary thought suddenly occurred to him. He looked down and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the condom. “God, I’m glad you remembered. I wasn’t even thinking… I’m always responsible, can’t believe I forgot with you.”

Agron chuckled at the fact that Nasir hadn’t noticed him put it on. “Seems like I didn’t need to use magic after all. You’re not very observant,” he joked. “But they’re kind of pointless to us, I only wore one for your peace of mind.”

“Pointless how?” He pulled Agron’s arm beneath his neck and used it as a pillow. 

“Neither Arcadians nor Katagaria can catch or transmit STDs. There’s no disease that I could give you and even if you had one, there’s no way you could give it to me. And it’s not like either of us can get pregnant.” 

A shadow passed behind Agron’s eyes that Nasir was desperate to explore, but he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He yawned. 

“You rest now.” Agron pulled him closer and wrapped an arm across his waist while Nasir threw a leg possessively over his thigh. “We’ll talk later tonight and I’ll get you something to eat, promise.”


	20. Storm

_Agron’s room, Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

By the steady sound of his breathing, Agron thought Nasir was still asleep, so when he spoke, it was a small shock. 

“What time is it?”

“The Howlers just started their second set downstairs, so it’s about 9:30.”

Nasir lifted his head and tried to listen. “I don’t hear anything. I bet there’s a lot I miss because I don’t have super senses.” He hesitated a beat before asking, “What does it mean to be mated?”

“What does it mean to me specifically or to my people in general?”

Nasir made a noncommittal noise which Agron understood to mean _either one_. He debated for a minute before answering. “To my people, it is our way of maintaining bloodlines and creating lineages.”

“Romantic,” Nasir muttered.

“Generally, no, it’s not about love or romance. That’s not to say that mated pairs do not or can never love each other, but to us, the one wearing our mark is the only one we can get pregnant with and that person is chosen for us. We have no say in it.”

“Sure you do,” Nasir surprised him by retorting. “The mating mark appears after sex, right? So if you don’t sleep with someone, you’ll never risk mating with them.”

“That’s true.” Agron rubbed Nasir’s bare shoulder. “I must admit that I was, hell, _am_ completely flummoxed by our marks. It is unheard of for two men to be mates. Not that gay couples don’t exist, but because there’s no chance of offspring, they’re virtually useless to the future of our species. There’s no point in having a same-sex mating. I just don’t understand…”

“What’s wrong with it? It’s like marriage. Gay couples don’t have to get married to have a life together, but it’s nice to acknowledge your commitment, the fact that you belong to each other. But you’d prefer a female mate, I guess.” Nasir’s chest tightened. It was just like Marcus had said. “Someone to give you children.”

“Hell no,” Agron said vehemently. “What gave you that idea?”

“You said –”

“I said that’s typically the function, outcome, whatever, of mating, not that I wanted it. I wouldn’t be here with you if I wanted a woman. And it would be impossible regardless. A Were-hunter only gets one mate. I’ve heard of rare instances of someone finding a second, but only after the first has died. Again, very rare.”

“And children? Bloodline?” Nasir asked in a low voice. 

Agron sighed. “That makes little difference now. I have no pack and I’ll never be alpha or have need of an heir. And there’s always the chance that Duro will find his mate and continue our father’s bloodline. Honestly? Children have never really appealed to me all that much.”

“We could always adopt if you change your mind,” Nasir joked, swallowing in apprehension when Agron remained silent. “There’s one more thing I wanted to ask. Marcus said that couples who don’t mate after the three weeks are up can’t have sex ever again, with anyone, even their destined mate.”

“Mated females can have all the partners they want, they don’t need their mate to have sex, just to get pregnant. I don’t know why it’s like that. It’s only the males that are left impotent to all others after they find their mate, and only if they are of Were-hunter descent. You’ll be fine.”

Agron’s words went over him like a cold shower. “What do you mean, ‘I’ll be fine’?”

“At the end of the three weeks, when the marks fade, you’ll be able to go about your life like I was never here. You’ll still be able to – ”

“You mean you don’t want to do this mating ritual thing?” Nasir interrupted him, sitting up in bed to get a good view of his expression. Until this point, he’d taken it for granted that Agron would want to see the mating through to the end. 

“Of course not!”

Agron’s response was so immediate and genuine it felt like a slap to the face. “I didn’t realize you felt so strongly about it.”

Agron stared into Nasir’s bright eyes. “You didn’t think I’d do that to you, did you?” He cupped Nasir’s cheek. “If you haven’t noticed, my world is dangerous and you didn’t ask to be in it. It’s better for you, in the long run, to stay away. It’s safer.”

Disentangling himself from Agron’s embrace and the warm blankets, Nasir left the bed and went in search of clothes. The effort to keep his voice steady made him sound angry and he fed off that emotion. “Look, if you don’t want me, at least man-up and be honest about it. I despise lies.”

“ _Don’t want you?_ ” Agron echoed. “I want you, okay? But you understand why that can’t happen, right? What if being with me got you hurt or killed? How could I live with that?”

“ _You_ do not get to decide what’s best for me all by yourself. If I wanted someone who didn’t give a shit about my opinions, I’d still be with Marcus.”

Agron conjured pajamas onto his body so he could stand up and talk sense into Nasir. That last comment was hitting below the belt. “I’m nothing like that prick! Fine. _Fine_. Here’s me asking you. What do you want?”

“I want you to –” _love me_. The words lodged in his throat. “I want you to take me home. I don’t want to spend the night with a guy so scared of commitment that he won’t even discuss mating.” How weird that he’d come to a point in his life where _that_ sentence made sense to him…

“Do you think I’m too _scared_ to mate?” Agron asked incredulously. “I’m the one facing life-long celibacy here. You’re not going to turn into a eunuch when these marks fade. This is what’s best for you.”

“I can’t talk to you when you completely shut me down. I know you guys can teleport places, so just be a doll and beam me back to my motel room.”

“No! I need to make you understand why completing the ritual is a horrible idea, no matter how selfish I am in just wanting to mate with you anyway, danger be damned. I’d love to see you every day, to keep learning about you and your life, to wake up in the morning and look at our matching marks side by side. But I couldn’t put you at risk like that.”

“If you won’t teleport me back, I’ll walk home. Come find me when you’re ready to have a mature conversation about this.”

Desperate to keep him from leaving angry, Agron used his powers to lock the door. Nasir tugged hard on the handle before turning slowly to face him. The cold fury in his eyes honestly scared him. 

“Don’t you dare,” Nasir began, his voice low and quivering with rage. “Don’t you dare keep me locked in here like some sort of animal. After what Marcus did to me… What the hell gives you the right?!”

Agron unlocked the door at once, horrified by his actions. “I’m sorry! I didn’t think. I can’t complete the ritual with you, but I just need you to stay, baby. Please.”

“Were you just going to keep screwing me for the next two weeks and then kick me out?” Nasir lowered his voice an octave and mocked Agron cruelly. “ _Well, baby, plowing your ass was fun while it lasted, but I think I’ve found my calling as a monk. Go fuck yourself from now on._ ” 

“No!” Agron said, scowling at Nasir’s uncharacteristic crudity. “We’d have talked, I just wasn’t ready to have this discussion yet, is all. We can talk now. I want to talk.”

Nasir’s resolve wavered upon colliding with those desperate puppy-dog eyes. He didn’t want to leave, but he knew it had to be done. He just hoped that Agron would come to his senses in time. 

“You have two weeks and two days, Agron. I’d be willing to see this ritual through with you if I thought that it would be a two way street. I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you and it’s scary as fuck. Just because I’m not a Were-hunter, doesn’t mean I’m some stupid kid who can’t make his own decisions. I understand all the dangers your world contains and I think you’re worth it. I think that _we_ are worth it.” 

Turning his back on Agron and walking out the door was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He repeated a silent mantra in his head as he headed downstairs. 

_Please come find me again._

 

Agron slammed his fists into the closed door, growling in frustration. Why couldn’t Nasir see that he was just trying to do the responsible thing, the honorable thing? It wasn’t fair to drop a human in the middle of his world. It was incredibly irresponsible and reckless. 

On the heels of that thought came an idea. 

_Gannicus?_ He reached out with his mind, hoping the lion was in the bar downstairs. 

_Yep?_

_Would you and Sibyl mind walking Nasir back to his place if he won’t let you teleport him there?_

_What happened?_

_I stuck my foot in my mouth and pissed him off. I think he needs a little space from me. Do you mind?_

He could hear the amusement in Gannicus' voice when he spoke. _Of course not. Need me to talk you up?_

Agron laughed wryly. _Please don’t. Talking to you would be the opposite of helpful in this situation._ Just what he needed, Nasir talking to a Were-hunter mated to a human and getting the idea that things like that happened all the time.

Gannicus didn’t seem at all offended. _Then why did you ask me?_

_Nasir and Sibyl have already met through a mutual friend. He’d be comfortable with her. You can watch out for them._

_Okay. I see him coming down the stairs, but I want to say one thing. I’m not Sibyl’s bodyguard. She doesn’t need or want 24/7 supervision. Nasir won’t either._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I won't drag this out for more than a couple chapters. I see the sweet end in sight, my friends :)


	21. Council

_Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Agron sat at a small table in the back of Sanctuary’s dining area. Sibyl came up to him, notepad in hand, but didn’t ask for his order. Instead, she glared daggers at him and folded her arms across her chest. He’d known she was angry at him over what had gone down with Nasir. Not that it had been any of her business. Everyone in Sanctuary knew by now, yet she alone seemed personally offended by his actions, or more precisely, his inactions. 

Minutes passed before Agron broke the silence. “You really are a terrible waitress,” he told her frankly. “I demand to speak to your manager.”

If looks could kill, Spartacus would have her up on murder charges. In any other circumstance, seeing such abject anger on her normally sweet and innocent face would be amusing. But at the moment, it just pissed him off. 

“You really are a terrible wolf,” she mocked. “Poor Nasir to be saddled with such a lousy mate like you. He’s such a sweet guy and you’re a bigoted pig. Maybe I should find a nice Arcadian to wait on you and request that no humans prepare your food!”

Agron eyesight dimmed at her condemnation. “You’re going to stand there and pass judgment on me? I could do the same to you. How about I go find Gannicus and tell him how goddamn irresponsible it was for him to mate with a human? Instead of doing right by you, he invited you into his world of blood and death. I know there’s a pack of Katagaria lions hunting him. You make him weak. You’re a liability and an easy target that he has to watch after. On behalf of all Arcadians, I am truly sorry he doesn’t honor you enough to keep you out of the line of fire.”

Her nostrils flared angrily. “I would slap you for that but you’re not worth bruising my hand over. Gannicus honors me every day, and I honor him. He didn’t decide to put me at risk. We decided together that being apart was so painful that we would rather die than be without the other.”

Agron’s head reeled at that last piece of information and what it meant. “You joined your life forces?” It was the sign of ultimate love and devotion. When mates bonded, they lived and died together. In Sibyl’s case, she and Gannicus had extended her short human lifespan, but if Gannicus got himself killed, she’d die instantly unless she was pregnant. In that case, she’d die as soon as the baby left her body. 

Sibyl drew herself up to her full height. “Yes, we did,” she said proudly. “If your only goal in life is to play it safe, you may as well already be dead. Sometimes you need to jump off the deep end, knowing that your beloved is there to catch you. Because without them, your life isn’t worth a damn thing.”

She spun on her heel and went to another table without taking his order. 

 

_Nasir’s motel room, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Chadara screwed up her face as she entered the pigsty that Nasir called his motel room. At first glance, he didn’t appear to be in it, but the shifting lump of blankets on the bed gave him away. 

“Get up, lazy bones. You’re coming home with me.”

“How did you get inside?” grumbled the lump on the bed. “Did you steal one of my room keys?”

“I told the guy at the front desk that I was your sister and needed you for a family emergency.”

That got Nasir’s head out from under the blankets. “My sister?” He couldn’t think of anyone who looked less like him than Chadara. “He bought that?”

“We were both adopted by a kind elderly couple when we were teens. Mom is in the hospital, little brother. She needs us –”

“Wait, why can’t I be the make-believe older brother in this scenario? I am four months older than you in real life.”

Chadara yanked the blankets off the bed and pulled Nasir out of it by his ear. “Because I’m so nurturing and understanding of your situation. Big sister is here to make you feel better. Or at least to snap you out of your funk.”

“Please go away. I was sleeping.”

She gave him a strange look. “It’s barely 7:30!”

“Technically, it’s 7:47, which is close to 8, which is close to bed time.” When she continued to look critically at him, he groaned and said, “Give me a break! I’ve been on my feet all day working in the shop! I’m tired.”

Chadara pulled his duffle bag out of the closet and began stuffing clothes into it. “You’re coming to stay with me for a few days.” Her tone was final. 

“I don’t want to.” Nasir said contrarily, collapsing back onto the bed. 

“I see right through you, you know. We may not be brother and sister, but I know you well enough to see how much you’re hurting. I also know that the amount of pain you’re feeling is directly proportional to how childish you’re acting. And in case it’s escaped your notice, that’s a lot.”

Nasir didn’t respond, so she laid down next to him on the bed and took his hand into both of hers. “I wish that you were my real brother,” she whispered. “That you’d grown up in my family, with my parents. Maybe if you’d seen a healthy, loving relationship as a kid, you’d have known when to boot all the assholes out of your life sooner. And then you wouldn’t have been hurt so much.”

“Agron isn’t like that. He thinks he’s protecting me.” Nasir had told her almost everything about his short and intense relationship with Agron. As he had no desire to be sent to the mental ward, he’d thought it best to leave out all the supernatural stuff. 

“I wasn’t talking about Agron. But I do think you’ve learned from your past.”

“What have I learned?”

“That it’s better to free yourself early on. If a guy is unable to commit at the exact moment you want him to but is perfect in every other way, it’s better to leave a vapor trail on your way out the door than give him a chance to hurt you later.”

Nasir had the feeling she was chastising him. “Is that what you think I did?”

Chadara sat up and played gently with a length of his hair. “Well, yeah. I never got to meet Agron, but you just left at the first sign of trouble, like you should have done with Marcus, who you stayed with much longer than was good for you. But Agron isn’t Marcus.”

“ _I know,_ ” Nasir snapped. “You don’t understand. Our situation is… He needs to know that I can make my own choices. I wish he’d just let us be happy. I know we could be great together.”

“So you’re just sitting around waiting for him to make the next move? You want to know what I’ve learned from relationships? Guys tend to suck at making major decisions. Sometimes, I just need to tell them what’s going to happen, otherwise I know they’re going to fuck up.”

 

_Oenomaus’ office, Sanctuary Bar & Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana_

Oenomaus froze at his computer as he felt a fissure of power disturb the air behind him. He smiled, recognizing the being at once.

“Spartacus. It has been a long time.” He stood and offered his hand. 

“Indeed.” Spartacus grasped Oenomaus’ forearm. “Did I interrupt anything important?”

“Unless I am with a patient, I always have time to speak with you.”

Spartacus’ face broke into a rare smile. There were few people in this universe with whom he felt completely at ease, and this hawk was one of them. “I need to know about the wolves. How do they fare?”

“Well. Duro is entirely healed from the failed _timoria_ and has met Angelina, the woman you spoke of. I don’t wish to speak prematurely, but I think Duro will soon leave Sanctuary to be with her pack. I would ask how it will work out for him, but I know you won’t tell me.”

Spartacus closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly to one side, as though listening to the ether. “Two paths lay before him. Each will provide him with happiness and sorrow, as all persons must endure. His future has not been decided. But what of Agron? He is in the restaurant below, yet Nasir is not with him.”

Oenomaus shook his head sadly. “It is all over Sanctuary. Agron refused to mate with the human. I don’t know many of my kind with the strength to reject their chosen one, nor any more with the will to do so. Can’t you do something? He is miserable.”

Spartacus’ brow furrowed. “I had hoped Agron would follow his heart, but he is letting fear rule him. There is nothing I can do to circumvent free will. It needs to be his choice.”

“What does he fear? Very few could match his physical and magical strength. No one would dare harm Nasir and risk an Aristi’s wrath upon them.”

“It is not fear of losing Nasir that keeps him from completing the ritual. Inform Agron that I crave a word with him. I have put too much time and effort into their union to have stubbornness be the ruin of all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aah... so close to the end I can taste it. One more 'plot' chapter then the 'epilogue' chapter and then no more Human Mate. It will be weird to write something else because I have worked on Human Mate, almost exclusively, for SO long! Unless something comes up unexpectedly, I should be posting chapter 22 sometime on or around this coming Friday.


	22. Fate

_Omegrion Council Chambers_

Agron entered Spartacus’ domain reluctantly. He was in no mood to deal with the mind-reading whatever-he-was right now. He’d much rather be back at his table at Sanctuary drinking his weight in beer. Not that his metabolism would allow him to get drunk off it, but it made him feel better to pretend he was working up to something to numb his pain. “You have summoned me, my lord and tormentor.” He did nothing to temper the sarcasm in his tone.

“Tormentor is right,” came a deep voice directly behind him. Agron spun around and was face to face with Spartacus. “You have been played as a pawn on my chessboard. I have had a hand in everything that has happened since you were run out of your pack.”

“Speak plainly and be quick about it. I have a non-life to get back to.”

Spartacus gave him a wry smirk and shook his head. “Be as disrespectful as you like, it will not shorten your time here.”

Agron bowed mockingly. “My humblest apologies, my liege.” 

“It is I who owes you an apology. I was the one who gave you and Nasir the mating marks, not the Fates.”

His heart stopped beating. Spartacus could circumvent the Fates? Just how powerful was he? “How?”

“The how is not as important as the why. I saw into your hearts and knew you were one of the few couples with the potential to be truly happy. I knew you both had demons that the other could vanquish. You had a corrupt uncle, whom Nasir killed in self-defense. Nasir had a cruel ex-boyfriend who you made to pay for his ghastly deeds. I thought that passion and protectiveness and affection would be enough. But I was wrong. I did not take circumstance into consideration. And for all I’ve put you through, I am sorry.”

“You…” Agron could barely form coherent words past his shock and anger. “You did this to us?” He held up his marked hand. “To what end? We don’t need to be mated to be together. Nasir wouldn’t have walked out on me if we weren’t mates.”

“True,” Spartacus agreed. “I thought to save you from unnecessary pain in the future. Gay or not, you were destined to have a female mate. She is still out there. Had you met her, even if you never laid a finger on her, you would be bound by the natural laws of your people...”

“I’d be impotent for all but her,” Agron finished. 

“Yes. But if you had completed the mating ritual with Nasir, the Fates could not have separated you by introducing you to your originally intended mate. You would not have accepted her, but sex with Nasir would have ended immediately. Do you understand?”

Agron fought a growl. “Yes. I understand that you put Nasir at risk when you gave him this mark. He needn’t have been targeted by Batiatus. I’d have left that first night and never endangered him again.”

Spartacus actually laughed at him. “He was always in danger. Do you think that Marcus would have let him be free? I am bound to see our laws obeyed, yet there was nothing I could do to stop Marcus from brutality against a human. Nasir is strong, and it was that power which drew Marcus to him, that spark of defiance that made Marcus desperate to tame him. He wouldn’t have stopped. Had events unfolded as the Fates intended, had you left that first night and never looked back, Nasir would have been stalked and beleaguered by Marcus for the next five months. His pain would have ended after a particularly vicious beating put him in the hospital. He’d have died soon after. But I made sure you were there to guarantee that Marcus would not hurt him again.”

But Nasir _had_ been hurt, Agron had been too slow. Spartacus spoke again before he could voice the thought. 

“And what of you? Had you left that first night as fate first intended, you would still be fleeing for your life. Batiatus had begun concocting plans to make a pact with a demon to wipe out your father’s line. Were-hunters are banned from doing violence in an official Sanctuary, yet those creatures live outside our laws. Duro would have been killed in a demon attack before he had the chance to fully recover. Nasir saved his life and yours by killing Batiatus before he had the opportunity to call upon the demon.”

“How do you know all this?” Agron found a column with his back and slid down it to sit on the floor. It was too much. And still, Spartacus spoke on, ignoring his question.

“It all worked out for the best, but I see now that I was wrong to expect you to accept a human as your mate, even one as headstrong and brave as Nasir. You are right, the dangers are too many. I can end your suffering and put right my mistake. Give me your hand and I will remove Nasir’s mating mark.”

Instinctively, Agron cringed away from Spartacus’ outstretched hand, clutching his own marked one to his chest. 

“Because I interfered in your mating, you will not be bound by the impotency rule. You will be able to go out and find the mate the Fates originally intended for you. She is an Arcadian wolf, recently assimilated into your former pack, very kind and…understanding. Mate with her, and they will accept your return as alpha. You have more friends there than you think, not all were of the same mind as Batiatus.”

“I would rather die than be mated to a woman.”

Spartacus knelt before him and offered him a sympathetic smile. “Did you know that your father’s true love was not your mother? He mated with her in order to have children and was forced to never see his beloved Beth again. He mated with your mother because it was the best thing for the pack. I…” For the first time, real anguish darkened Spartacus’ eyes. “I told him that his son would be first in line to become alpha one day. So he did the honorable thing and produced heirs to protect his people.” 

Spartacus closed his eyes and tiled his head to one side. “Your future is not yet decided. I can see the many paths that lay before you. Would it help to hear about the children you would father if you choose to mate with her?”

Agron’s eyes stung with unshed tears as he shook his head vehemently. He didn’t want to hear about his father’s true love, he didn’t want to think about the responsibility he had to his pack now that their leader had been killed, he didn’t want to imagine how awful his existence would become if he ever mated to a female. He wanted to close his eyes and wake up in bed with Nasir’s knee wedged in his back or his arm slung across his face. 

“If you deny your Arcadian mate, your life will not be so bad. You will remain at Sanctuary and become accepted into their eclectic pack. Never will you want for food, shelter, or the company of good friends, yet you will never find another to share your life with.”

“What happens to Nasir when the marks are gone?” His voice sounded thick and heavy, but Agron didn’t give a flying fuck what Spartacus thought of him. 

“He will fall into a brief depression, and then be brought out of it by a customer he meets in his shop. The build of their romance is slow, yet within two years they will move into an apartment together on the same street as Nasir’s store and two miles from the elementary school where Castus teaches second grade.”

Agron’s hands clenched into fists at the thought of someone else with Nasir. No one could deserve him. “Is… Would Castus be good to him?”

Spartacus face was impassive. “Castus will worship the ground Nasir walks on. He would never dream of raising a hand to him in anger. It won’t be as it was with Marcus, I swear it. They will have a good life together and never meet another Were-hunter again.” He paused and frowned at Agron’s silence. “What do you fear, Agron? What is the real reason you won’t accept Nasir as your mate?”

“You’re in my head,” Agron spat angrily, biting back a growl. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“I wish for you to say it aloud.”

He tried to hold back, but it was like a tsunami spilling out of him. “Because I’m afraid he won’t accept me! I saw the look on his face after I’d fought Marcus as a wolf. He was disgusted and horrified to see me change. How can a human tie himself to a creature that repulses him? And that’s who I am, I couldn’t change it even if I wanted to. Not even for him.”

Spartacus laid a supportive hand on his shoulder. “My advice to you is the same. Make decisions with your heart. The choices made in fear are always the ones we most regret. I cannot give you reassurances that he will accept your animal nature. That can only come from Nasir.”

Agron’s breathing quickened. He needed to see Nasir right now, more than he needed air in his lungs or blood pumping through his veins. When he tried to flash out to Nasir’s apartment, he found he couldn’t. 

“I have you on lock down,” Spartacus explained, his voice frustratingly calm and patient. “Where are you going?”

Agron did growl this time. Why the fuck did Spartacus bother asking anyone anything when he could easily pluck the answer out of their heads?

“Because people find me rude and intrusive when I do that.” Spartacus gave him a kind smile. “I like you, wolf. And I know you’ll do the right thing. But first, tell me where you’re going.”

“I need Nasir! I’m going to his motel room. Why are you keeping me here?” He tried again and failed to flash out. 

Spartacus sighed. “I was trying to stall for time. But since you’re so impatient…” 

Agron gasped as Spartacus popped him back into his own room in Sanctuary. Why the hell would Spartacus send him back here when he knew Nasir was the first and only thing on his mind? For the third time, he attempted to flash himself to Nasir’s motel room and again found himself on lock down. He ground his teeth in frustration and slung open the door, intent on walking there, when he nearly ran into someone standing just outside his room.

“Nasir!” He couldn’t have been more shocked to see the human standing there looking like he was ready to take on a wolf. 

Before he could say a word, Nasir held up his hand in a silence gesture. “No talking, please. I’ve come here because I need to say something and if you interrupt me, it’ll completely throw off my very carefully worded speech.”

Agron made a show of locking his lips shut and throwing away the key. 

“Thank you.” Nasir moved past him to pace restlessly inside his room. “I have decided not to wait around and hope you come to reason. My potential future happiness is at stake here and I won’t let your stubbornness sabotage what we could become. Here’s what’s going to happen. We will spend the next two weeks together and then decide if we wish to mate. You don’t like it? Tough cookies, buster. You aren’t getting rid of me.”

Agron opened his mouth, but Nasir was too quick for him. 

“Ah, ah, ah! I know you’re about to say something incredibly chauvinistic with misplaced altruism sprinkled on top and I don’t want to hear it. I’m an adult fully capable of living with the ramifications of my decisions. We don’t have a long time to decide before the marks fade, right? So are you going to keep arguing with me, or will you shut up and help me decide if I can stand being around you for longer than the amount of time it takes you to teleport us into the nearest bed?”

Heart close to bursting, Agron was powerless to keep the broad grin off his face. He fell to his knees and hugged Nasir around the middle, burying his face in his human’s t-shirt. “Thank you,” he choked out. 

“For what?” Nasir sounded utterly confused. “What exactly won you over? Was it the part where I showed up uninvited and barged into your room or when I bitched at you without letting you speak?”

“Thank you for not letting me make the biggest mistake of my life. I was about to show up on your doorstep and beg for a second chance.”

Nasir tilted Agron’s face up and leaned down for a kiss. “I’m sorry I ran out. I guess I have a tendency to run away from confrontation rather than stand my ground. But now that I’m done standing my ground, I’d like to be in bed lying down next to you, if that’s what you want.” 

Agron popped them into the desired position, face to face so he could stare at those gorgeous features. “I’m so happy you’re here.” He couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He loved the feel of Nasir’s cheek beneath his fingertips, those sexy lips beneath the pad of his thumb. 

“I was so afraid you’d tell me to get lost.” Nasir’s gaze was fixed on a portion of Agron’s upper chest revealed beneath his shirt collar. “I’ve been psyching myself up for this for like half a day.”

“Ugh, I’m awful for making you feel like that –” Agron broke off at the pleasurable sensation of Nasir winding his legs around his own. “I actually just came back from seeing Spartacus and he was able to talk some sense into me. Before we get any farther, I think I want to tell you why the thought of mating with you freaked me out so much.”

Nasir looked uncertain at his words and Agron was quick to reassure him. 

“Nothing to do with you, I swear. This is all on me. I just… I was a little… The last time we saw…” He paused to take a deep breath and then forced it out. “When you saw me fight Marcus as a wolf, after I changed back I can so vividly recall the look of horror on your face. I thought you wouldn’t be able to accept the animal half of me. So I rejected the notion of mating with you so that you wouldn’t have the chance to reject me.”

“Agron,” Nasir’s tone managed to be both exasperated and tender. “Put that fear out of your mind. You’re the kindest man and the most loyal wolf I know. I was half unconscious from pain and lack of sleep, it had nothing to do with seeing you as a wolf. I would never change something so fundamental to who you are. You’re perfect this way.” He closed the distance between them and gently nibbled on the lip Agron stuck out in an adorable pout. “What?”

“Kindest? I was kind of shooting for ‘sexiest’ or ‘greatest in bed’. I guess ‘kindest’ is acceptable though.”

Nasir laughed. “You’re my sexy beast.”

“I’m yours? You’ll keep me, then?” 

“Always,” Nasir whispered against his lips. He greatly anticipated the next two weeks, at the end of which, he’d make damn sure Agron completed the mating ritual with him. Now all he had to do was think of a way to bring up the notion of bonding their life-forces without implicating Sibyl in the crime of telling him more than Agron might want him to know. He didn’t want to live another day without Agron in it.


	23. Ritual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally ready to post the conclusion of Human Mate. Thanks so much for your patience and for everyone who left comments and kudos that fueled my mad desire to write this story.

_Apartment above Pandora’s Box, New Orleans, Louisiana_

“Nasir, I’ve been wanting to ask all morning, what is this?!” Pietros held a wire whisk backwards and squeezed it experimentally. 

“Really? You don’t know what that is? It’s a pretty common kitchen utensil.” 

“Even I know a wisp when I see one,” Agron said as he and Barca entered the second story landing of Nasir’s little apartment above his store carrying a large refrigerator between them. “And I have the culinary skills of a flower pot, that is to say, none at all.”

“Whisk,” Nasir corrected, enunciating very clearly. “It’s a whisk.”

Pietros scowled down at it. “It’s very awkward to hold.”

“That’s because you’re holding it wrong.” Nasir took the whisk from him and demonstrated how to use it. Pietros laughed at him and the odd instrument, and Nasir blushed faintly. “Sometimes you need to whisk something!” He tried not to sound too defensive. “I guess you let Barca do all the cooking.”

After he and Agron set up the refrigerator, Barca came up silently behind Pietros and pulled him into his chest. He rested his chin atop Pietros’ head and the young man reached up almost absently, and cupped his cheek. From this angle, Nasir could see the tattoo on Pietros’ inner arm. It was a beautifully stylized hawk and wolf that was a perfect copy of the one on Barca’s bicep. It didn’t look like a Were-hunter’s mating mark, but then it wasn’t supposed to. 

Their sweet embrace struck a chord with Nasir and he forced himself not to stare. Ever since Duro had returned to the pack and, with Agron’s blessing and full backing, taken his elder brother’s place as alpha, Barca and Pietros hadn’t had to hide their relationship. Nasir loved seeing the happy glow on Pietros’ face and the love and protectiveness in Barca’s eyes when they were together. 

“Actually, whenever we had a chance to eat together, I’d always gotten take-out. Wolves are incredibly easy to feed. Lots of meat.”

Agron rested a hip against the counter next to Nasir. “I hope you’re taking mental notes.”

Nasir snorted. “You’re on your own with cooking. Haven’t you noticed I’m a strict vegetarian? No meat in my kitchen.” He laughed as Agron blanched comically. “Just kidding. Boy, the look on your face…” 

“Don’t scare me like that again!” Agron pressed a hand over his heart dramatically. Then he rolled his eyes and glanced over at Barca and Pietros with a reprimanding scowl. “And for the love of the gods, _please_ get a room. I can hardly stand to be around the two of you when you’re all handsy with each other.”

Pietros’ face flushed and he quickly jumped away from Barca, who had apparently been massaging his chest and kissing his neck. 

“We’re done, then?” asked Barca, unsubtly adjusting himself through his pants. “Not that helping make your shop apartment inhabitable wasn’t fun, human, but I’m all manual-labored out.”

He knew he shouldn’t be, but Nasir was highly amused by the embarrassment in the room. “Totally. Thanks so much for your help, both of you.”

“Yes, yes – thanks a bunch,” Agron said impatiently. “Now go jump Pietros’ bones like I know you want to, you fucking barbarian.” Then Agron muttered, “Can’t keep your libido in check for one goddamn afternoon…” 

In tune with his odd sense of humor that broke through his stoic armor on rare occasions, Barca grabbed Pietros and hefted him over his meaty shoulder like he weighed no more than a sack of flour. Then he said in a stilted voice, “Barca leave. Barca need hawk-man.”

“ _Oh, my god_. I’m going to kill you, Barca.” Pietros voice was slightly muffled but he waved in Nasir’s general direction. “See you soon! This was fun! Bye, Agron –”

The last word was cut short as Barca popped them out of the room. Nasir burst out laughing. “You didn’t have to drive them away. That wasn’t very nice.”

“ _You_ can’t smell the lust pouring off those two. It’s sickening.”

Nasir walked up to Agron and gave him a hug, burying his face in Agron’s shirt. “You’re so unromantic. I remember in the beginning there used to be quite a bit of lust with you and me, when you first walked into my store. Is it all gone now? Is this how it’s going to be when we’re an old mated couple?” He tried and failed to keep the quaver of uncertainty out of his voice. 

Agron cupped Nasir’s face in both hands and tilted it up for a kiss. “I want you more than you know. I just need to compartmentalize my life. I didn’t realize how deep my jealously ran until I met you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t think about romantic stuff with other people around.” Agron trailed both hands down Nasir’s back until they rested on his ass. He squeezed and massaged, and finally slipped one hand beneath Nasir’s jeans. “That, right there,” he said softly. “If anyone else saw that expression on your face, if anyone else saw how beautiful you are when you’re at the mercy of my touch, I don’t know that I could control my reaction. Only I can see you like this.”

Nasir huffed out a breath, half amused, half exasperated. “Does that mean we can complete the ritual now?”

Agron raised an eyebrow. “You were the one who wanted to spend the rest of the time ‘getting to know each other’. Are you sure about me now?”

“I love you,” Nasir said, finally giving Agron the words. “I’ve never been more sure about anything, or more excited about the future.”

Heart swelling, Agron crushed Nasir to him in a tight embrace. “I think I fell in love with you the first night we met, but the second I knew for certain was when Spartacus offered to remove the mating mark. I realized then that I’d die without you. I wanted your mark on me for the rest of my life.”

“Our mark,” Nasir amended. “I see both of us in it. We were meant to be, even if we were never mates. But I’m glad we are.”

“So, Nasir,” Agron said, looking seriously into his eyes. “I’m pretty sure I know what your answer will be, but I need to hear you say the words. This is the most important moment of my life thus far, and I just have to know…” He took a deep breath. “Will you call Chadara and let her know we won’t be getting together for pizza tonight?”

Nasir laughed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. After sending a quick text, he turned it off so they wouldn’t be interrupted. “Okay. How do we do this?”

In the blink of an eye, they were in Nasir’s bedroom. Agron didn’t use magic to take off his clothes, needing a few seconds to calm his rampaging heartbeat. Since there had never been a same sex mating before, he’d asked Spartacus what it entailed earlier that week. Thankfully, much of it was the same as the ritual he knew. 

“We press our marked palms together and then I’ll lay on my back and you have to take me into your body without my interference.” When Nasir scowled at that, Agron reddened and explained uncomfortably, “It’s a roll-over from the regular ritual. To make sure no party is forced into mating against their will.”

“It’s to protect the _female_ ,” Nasir observed shrewdly, enjoying watching Agron squirm beneath his feigned indignation. “So what exactly are you implying?”

“We can flip, if you want,” Agron assured him hastily. “I asked Spartacus about it and he said that it didn’t make a difference which of us was, um, doing the entering. Those were definitely not the words he used. I’ll be on top taking you inside me, if you want. I didn’t mean to presume, but it’s not something you ever indicated that you wanted before. I’ve actually never bottomed, so it’ll be new kind of experience, won’t it? But I’m happy it’s with you. And seriously, Nasir? Are you really going to stand there and let me ramble on like this? I literally can’t stop the words from spilling out of my mouth until you say something to stop me embarrassing myself further. I can’t comprehend what kind of gratification you get from allowing me to dig myself deeper in the hole –”

Nasir pulled Agron down and silenced him with a kiss. “I like to see how far off track you get when you get nervous and start rambling. I was teasing, I swear. I want to experience everything with you, but all in due time and when we’re both ready. Nothing is more satisfying than having you inside me and that’s how I want it for our mating. Then what happens after I take you into my body?”

Agron breathed easier. “Then we say the vows. I’ll go first and you repeat after me. And then we’re mated. I belong to you and you belong to me, and no one can separate us.”

“Then we’re done?”

“That’s it. No going back.”

“But what _else_ is there?” Nasir persisted. “What happens after the words? Like, is something going to happen to you right after we say the vows? What should I expect next?”

Narrowing his eyes, Agron ground his teeth. “Fuck. Who told you about the bonding? Gannicus? No, it was Sibyl, wasn’t it? No tips for her for the next three months.”

“Bonding?” Nasir stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “What’s that?”

“Like you don’t know. It’s dangerous, did they tell you that? If someone attacks me, which is very likely given our circumstances and my shitty luck, and I die, then you will die immediately. It’s not something that I wanted to even put on the table. I’m putting you at enough risk, I will not be the death of you.”

Nasir shed the rest of his clothes and pushed a naked Agron into a seated position on his bed. “I know we’ve only known each other for three weeks and maybe you don’t believe I’m serious about you. Maybe you think I don’t love you enough, but if you were to die, there’s no way I’d be able to just go on with my life. You’d take me with you, I know it. I don’t want to live another day without you. I’d like to join life forces with you.”

Cupping Nasir’s face, Agron stared at him in wonder. “You’re the bravest man I know and you are the sun to my solar system. I live and die with you. It would be a honor to bond with you.”

Smiling, Nasir kissed him tenderly. “Let’s do this before our three weeks is over and the marks fade.”

“There’s no way we’d miss our window of opportunity. I set the alarm on my phone to warn me before our time is up.”

Nasir laughed as Agron scooted higher up the bed and laid down. As Nasir was moving into position above him, he laced his fingers with Agron’s outstretched hand, pressing their mating marks together.

“Are you allowed to prepare me? Does stretching me count as ‘interference’?” 

Agron’s breathing quickened at Nasir’s words and the sight he made above him. _Mine_. He manifested a little tube of lubricant, which Nasir took with his free hand. “Slick my fingers, baby.”

Kneeling up as Agron reached beneath him, Nasir gasped and squeezed Agron’s hand tighter as those thick digits penetrated him. “I know I could have done this myself –” his voice hitched as Agron prodded that wonderful bundle of nerves inside him. “But you’re so good at it. Gets me so hard.”

“Touch yourself, let me see.” If he’d had a free hand, Agron would already be stroking Nasir’s cock. “So beautiful. I love you.”

“I love you,” Nasir replied raggedly, toying with the tip of his erection where precome was leaking onto Agron’s stomach. “Can we do it now?”

“Are you stretched enough? Ready to sit on my dick?”

Moaning at the thought, Nasir bent down and kissed him, open, carnally. “Uh huh.” 

Agron forced himself to remain placid beneath Nasir as his man took hold of his cock and guided it slowly into the searing heat of his body. “Fuck the gods…”

“What – what are the words, Agron? Don’t bail on me now.”

“Never, baby.” He brushed the tips of the fingers from his free hand over Nasir’s cheek. “I accept you as you are, and I will always hold you close to my heart. I will walk beside you forever.” His grip tightened on Nasir’s marked hand and he brought it to his lips to kiss the back of it. 

Nasir stared into Agron’s passion-darkened eyes, amazed that this mountain of sexy male was his for the rest of his life. “I accept you as you are, and I will always hold you close to my heart. I will walk beside you forever.”

As soon as he finished speaking the vows, Agron arched his back as though he were being racked with pain. His canine teeth grew like something out of a vampire movie. Because he’d spoken with Sibyl and Gannicus about the bonding, Nasir knew what was supposed to happen next, but Agron fought the instinct that was trying to take control. 

“Are you sure about this, Nasir?” Agron panted, lisping slightly around his elongated teeth. “We don’t have to do this now. There’s no time-limit on joining our life forces. We could wait years, if you wanted.”

“I don’t need more time to think about this. A little danger is a small price to pay for having you with me, now and always.”

Agron sat up beneath him and nuzzled Nasir’s neck. “After I bite you, you’ll have bite me in the shoulder.”

Before he could respond, Agron sank his teeth into him. Nasir cried out, not from pain, but from indescribable pleasure. He could feel Agron swelling inside him and thrust himself against him with raw abandon. Just as his orgasm ripped through him, Nasir felt his own fangs growing. Something seemed to possess him until he no longer felt human. He struck out and latched onto Agron’s shoulder, feeling the larger body quiver from the onslaught of feeling. 

Ecstasy. It was like they were one person, united spiritually and physically. Agron felt their heart beats synchronize as he released himself inside Nasir’s body. They clung to each other as Agron’s orgasm continued and Nasir rocked himself against him until they were both spent. 

Falling on the bed next to Agron, Nasir watched as that massive chest heaved. He tested his teeth with his tongue and found they had returned to their normal human appearance.“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so exhausted after sex.”

Agron turned to him with a broad grin, dimples out in full force. “That was exhilarating. I think you’ve broken me.”

“Nope, nope, nope.” Nasir rested his chin on Agron’s chest. “I can’t have broken my favorite toy,” he said playfully. “You don’t… regret that we mated, do you?” He looked down at his palm. The previously black mating mark was now a brilliant shade of green, like a forest after the rain.

“Oh, may the gods save me from my own idiocy. I always wanted to mate with you, Nasir. What I regret is making you doubt my devotion. You’ll always be my first priority and I’ll always want what’s best for you. And then you’ll come along and tell me what’s actually going to happen, regardless of your best interests.”

“Your input matters too. Like now, for instance, I have a question for you.” Nasir knelt up on the bed and reached into his night stand to pull out a little black box. “Agron?”

Grinning like a maniac, Agron responded, “Yes, my mate?” He had some idea where this was going even if he wasn’t up to date on all human customs. 

“I love you and never wish to be parted from your side. We’ve mated and bonded in the way of your people, and I’d like to ask you to bond with me in the way of mine.” He opened the box in his hand to show a simple gold band. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Then their lips collided in a bruising kiss.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I've finished Agron and Nasir's story, I can now complete my Barca and Pietros fic! Here's a little snippet of Bare Palms (title subject to change), it occurs before events in Human Mate so it's an unofficial prequel:
> 
> “Wait… Both male? I didn’t know that was possible.” Pietros looked down at his bare palm and the agony in his eyes made Barca ache with the need to track down the goddesses of Fate and make those bitches correct their mistake. There was no one in the universe he wanted more than his hawk. They didn’t need mating marks to have a life together, but it would be nice to have an outward symbol to show the rest of the world they belonged to each other. 
> 
> Gripping Pietros’ chin, Barca forced his face up and claimed his lips in a fierce kiss. The young man melted against him instantly and surrendered to him. Wedging a hand between their chests, Barca’s fingers found and tweaked the barbell piercing Pietros’ left nipple. The hawk gasped and pushed even closer. When he pulled back, he had his boy gasping for more. 
> 
> “I don’t want to talk about them, okay? I have a few hours before I need to start the hunt. Take me somewhere I can fuck your brains out until you can’t fly straight tomorrow.”

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone familiar with Sherrilyn Kenyon's book Night Play will recognize the skeleton of this story. I borrowed heavily from it, but obviously changed a great deal to better suit our boys, Agron and Nasir. Avid readers of Ms. Kenyon will notice that I may take a couple liberties here and there with her world. I will try to write so that you don't have to have previous knowledge of the universe it's set in to understand what's going on, but if you wish to read more on your own, you can get more information on Sherri's website: 
> 
> http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/book-series/were-hunter/
> 
> Quick vocabulary lesson - Arcadians are humans who have the ability to change into animals. Katagaria are animals with the ability to change into humans. Both races can command magic. 
> 
> If at any point in this fic something becomes confusing or I'm assuming the reader knows too much of what's going on in my head, please comment below and I'll try to clear it up.


End file.
